When you think of older adults, Sachindri Wijekoon wants you to forget whatever stereotypes come to mind.  

“There’s a misconception that older adults [those aged 65 and above] are this homogenous group and that aging is a monolithic experience. It’s much more complex than that.”

Overlooking that complexity, she adds, often leaves older adults marginalized.  

“So many older adults don’t have access to resources and opportunities in their own communities, whether due to a disability, race, gender, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status,” says Sachindri, professor in Western’s School of Occupational Therapy.

Sachindri’s research explores these forms of marginalization because she believes life can be better for older adults if the challenges they face are understood by policymakers, as well as those in the health and social services. To acquire that knowledge, Sachindri partners with older adults using a model called community-based participatory research.

“Community members are involved at every stage of the research process, whereas with traditional research, older adults are just the subjects — there to provide data. And then the researchers analyze that data and disseminate it without the involvement of the older adults. Community-based participatory research treats older adults as co-researchers.”

Sachindri believes engaging older adults in the research enables them to develop solutions to the marginalization they are experiencing.  

“This approach focuses on reducing the power imbalance by prioritizing community voices, fostering mutual learning and sharing ownership of that research.”

For example, her work with a group of South Asian immigrant older adults revealed self-care is a priority for them.  

“Some people might think of self-care as going to a spa or doing yoga. In occupational therapy, we view self-care as the activities of daily living, like bathing and toileting. But to racialized or immigrant older adults, self-care might hold a different meaning. It might be around taking care of yourself in the face of racist encounters.”

The goal is to make sure older adults have a voice in identifying their challenges and developing effective and sustainable next steps.  

And Sachindri emphasizes that one of the major ways to create a better world for marginalized older adults is to have policymakers hear what they are experiencing.  

“Decision-makers need to understand the unique needs and challenges of these subsets of older adults. If we continue researching the aging experience the way we always have, we won't make much of an impact. We really need to hear from those voices that have been excluded and dig deeper to create more inclusive societies — for all people, regardless of their age or identity.”