
A humanistic approach to long-term care | Vincenzo Paolino
Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging populationShow Notes
Exploring new innovations in seniors’ care from a global perspective can inspire us and lead to fresh ideas on how we can best support our seniors. In the first episode of Coming of Age’s second season, Donna sits down with Vincenzo Paolino, a specialist in geriatric care equipped with an entrepreneurial spirit. Vincenzo’s background includes a degree in psychology, time spent in psychiatric nursing with a specialty in seniors’ care, and experience as a nursing director in a hospice for people with AIDS as well as a long-term care home, where he and his staff successfully implemented major culture change. He is also the founder of queerAltern, a group that develops housing options for LGBTQI+ seniors. Since 2013, Vincenzo has been operating Almacasa, a collection of residential communities in Europe that take a unique approach to care. During the episode, he shares several inspiring insights and stories that could help us discover new possibilities for the future here in Ontario.
Learn more about Vincenzo Paolino: https://globalageing.org/staff/vincenzo-paolino/
More from Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population
Canada is aging, and that asks all of us to think differently about care, our communities and what it truly means to age well. Season 6 of Coming of Age brings researchers, policy leaders, residents and families into conversation about the choices, practical ideas and lived experiences shaping the future of aging and care.
Care doesn’t start with policy — it starts with people.
Five years ago, Coming of Age launched during a global pandemic that exposed deep fractures in how we care for older adults. For this milestone episode, host Donna Duncan reunites with our very first guest, award-winning journalist and author Moira Welsh to reflect on progress, persistent challenges and the future of aging in Ontario.
Ontario is home to more than 330,000 people living with dementia today, a number expected to reach one million within a generation. Behind these staggering statistics are real people navigating profound changes in cognition, communication, and identity.
In long-term care, the workforce is the heart of every home. When we invest in long-term care as essential economic infrastructure, we not only provide compassionate care, we also strengthen Ontario’s GDP, create recession-proof jobs and provide reliable support for our aging population.