Stories
What Inspired the COALESCE Project?
By Dr. Mei Fang, 51社区黑料Urban Studies and Gerontology
Growing up in a traditional Chinese household with my dad and younger sister, things were always orderly. We were rule followers - recycling meticulously, every item sorted into the correct bin. But as my dad鈥檚 health declined and he began living with bowel cancer, those routines fell away. I started to wonder: why should older people care about climate change and the environment when there are more immediate concerns, like health, caregiving, or simply making ends meet?
In my work as a researcher in urban aging, I鈥檝e often heard older people question whether climate change is just 鈥渢he natural order of things,鈥� much like recycling, something governments tell us to do. And yet, as a scientist at heart, I鈥檝e always leaned on evidence to understand the world. I knew from a young age that climate change and the depletion of the ozone layer were real. But what about those who never had access to that kind of education, or lived through times when climate wasn鈥檛 on the radar?
When a friend messaged me about a research opportunity from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) focused on climate action, I jumped at the chance. It started out as just two friends wanting to work on something meaningful, but soon became something much bigger. I began asking: how can older people explore climate change for themselves using research tools and local knowledge? How can we support their learning, their questions, and their contributions?
COALESCE was born out of these questions, and from a belief that good research happens when we put ourselves in others鈥� shoes, build relationships, and work creatively with those outside of academia. It's not just about 鈥渃ommunity-engaged research鈥� or 鈥渃itizen science鈥� - it's about learning and growing together.
~ Mei
Voices from the Lifecourse Interviews
Selected quotes from older adult participants in the Lifecourse Interviews, reflecting on pivotal life moments and
experiences with extreme weather that shape how they think about and respond to climate change today.
"I have lived in Canada for 72 years, but I never used an air purifier, dehumidifier, air conditioner or fans. Now I have two fans, an air purifier, and an air conditioner. That is a big change."
~ 81, East Vancouver resident
"We need to change our lifestyle. We need to think more about how to protect ourselves from these changes. In the long run, it's an education program - plus raising people's awareness. We have to promote this kind of idea: protecting ourselves from climate change."
~67, Richmond resident
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about the world here. But all we can do is what we can do in our little corner of the world鈥� I wonder what we can do to affect positive change and change habits that have become very focused on self and not on the greater good.鈥�
~ 83, Richmond resident
鈥淭he most important thing is to take care of our health. If it鈥檚 too hot, you need to wear thin clothes. Or wear a sun hat. We can鈥檛 change the weather, but the government can do something for the elderly.鈥�
~ 73, Richmond resident
Student Reflections
Excerpts from students鈥� reflexive summaries on their early experiences working alongside older adult co-researchers. These reflections capture insights from their first collaborations and the initial kick-off workshop for the Participant-Led Rapid Realist Review.
"I'm genuinely excited about this project, especially getting to know my co-researcher, and the rest of the team. The initial workshop felt like a great starting point, and I loved seeing how quickly collaboration started to take shape. The creative energy in the room was clear, and it felt like co-development was already underway. That said, I also anticipate some challenges ahead. Academic language can be inaccessible! Even I sometimes stumble over it, and we鈥檒l need to be thoughtful in how we approach the review process together. It鈥檒l be important to track our methods carefully and stay organized, especially with things like keyword strings and result counts. I expect there will be some logistical hurdles, but I鈥檓 looking forward to tackling them as a team."
"...this parallel collaboration helps seniors become more familiar with the research process, turning the experience into a learning opportunity. On the other hand, for student researchers, this journey also entails learning, specifically, how to interact and collaborate with seniors, as well as how to benefit from their life experiences. I believe this second aspect of learning will become even more evident in the later stages of the project, where the seniors鈥� experiences will play a more prominent role."