Aging Your Way Expo: A Day to Explore What AgingWell Means to You

By Jenna Hilchey, BScN RN CPHCN(C)

What this article covers

• How everyday interests can guide your plans for aging well.

• What to explore at the 2026 Halifax Aging Your Way Expo.

• Why home design, transportation, connection, and financial planning belong together.

• How educational presentations can help you ask better questions.

• Ways to leave the expo with a useful next step.

What would you like your everyday life to look like as you get older?

Picture an ordinary Saturday a few years from now. You might be getting ready to meet a friend for breakfast, checking what is growing in the garden, or deciding whether the weather is good enough for a walk along the waterfront. Perhaps you are packing for a weekend away. Perhaps you are happiest at home, with music playing and something simmering on the stove.

Those details tell us something about what aging well means to you. They are worth including when you think about the future.

Conversations about aging can become very practical very quickly. Where will you live? What will it cost? Will the stairs still work for you? Those questions matter, but they make more sense when they begin with the life you want to keep enjoying.

The Aging Your Way Expo creates space for that wider conversation. On Saturday, October 17, 2026, Remember When HealthCare is bringing people together in Halifax to explore ideas, meet local organizations, and learn about the many things that support aging in place. You can arrive with a specific question or simply an interest in what comes next.

What can you discover at the Aging Your Way Expo?

You can explore different parts of daily life in one place, from home and accessibility ideas to wellness, recreation, housing, and planning for the future.

The 2026 Halifax Aging Your Way Expo takes place at the Cedar Event Centre, 111 Clayton Park Drive, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. The day includes local exhibitors and educational presentations, with opportunities to ask questions and gather information at your own pace. Visit the expo page for event updates.

A useful conversation might begin with something very ordinary: a front entrance that needs attention, an activity you would like to try, or a question about making your home more manageable. You may discover an organization you have never heard of or finally meet someone who can explain an option you have been researching. Our Remember When HealthCare team will also be there. We welcome the questions people sometimes

hesitate to ask because they feel too small or too early. Understanding what is available can begin long before you decide to make a change.

Why does aging well involve more than the home itself?

Your home sits within a larger pattern of places, relationships, and routines. Whether you can reach those places matters. Canadian-led research on age-friendly communities describes housing, transportation, participation, services, and access to information as interconnected. It also emphasizes the fit between an individual and their surroundings, including differences in income and abilities (Menec et al., 2011).

Consider someone who loves a weekly art class. The class may be affordable and welcoming, but attending still depends on getting there, entering the building, and feeling comfortable in the space. A plan that considers only the house misses part of that person's life.

That is a useful way to approach the expo. Look for the connections between topics. A conversation about housing might raise a transportation question. A discussion about recreation might introduce an accessibility idea. A financial planning question might help you compare possibilities you previously assumed were out of reach.

You do not need to solve all of those questions in one day. Seeing how they fit together is a worthwhile beginning.

How can your home keep supporting the things you enjoy?

Start by noticing how you use it now.

Which room do you spend the most time in? Where do visitors gather? Do you enjoy cooking, making things,or sitting outside? What feels easy, and what has become unnecessarily awkward?

For example, someone who enjoys baking may care about having everyday ingredients within comfortable reach. Someone who hosts friends may want a clearer route between the entrance and the sitting room. A gardener may be interested in different working heights or easier access to an outdoor space.

These examples are starting points for questions. The right change depends on the person, the property, and the advice needed for the work involved.

At the expo, describe the activity you want to preserve before asking about a product. “I want to keep using my garden” gives a professional more useful information than “What should I buy?” Ask about installation, maintenance, who can assess suitability, and whether there are simpler options to explore first.

A home can remain recognizably yours while becoming easier to use. Favourite furniture, family photographs, and familiar routines belong in the conversation alongside practical considerations.

Why should social connection be part of your plans?

Because the people and activities you look forward to help shape the week.

A six-year study using data from the Aging in Manitoba Study found associations between everyday activity and aspects of well-being and function. Different activities were associated with different outcomes; solitary interests also had value for happiness (Menec, 2003). These findings do not mean everyone needs a busy

calendar.

The practical question is which kinds of connection suit you. One person enjoys a full room and a group project. Another prefers a familiar friend and an unhurried conversation. Someone else finds satisfaction in volunteering, learning, or quietly working on a hobby.

Think about what you would like more room for. You might want a welcoming place to try something new, a way to return to an old interest, or information you can share with a neighbour.

An expo offers a gentle reason to start those conversations. You can ask how a program works, who attends, whether beginners are welcome, and what participation involves. You can also decide that an option is interesting without signing up that day.

What role does transportation play in independence?

Transportation helps turn an intention into an actual outing.

A Canadian-led review found that access to transportation, nearby resources, social support, and neighbourhood conditions were associated with older adults' mobility and social participation. Much of the evidence was observational, so it describes relationships rather than proving cause and effect (Levasseur et al., 2015).

When planning, consider the trips that make up a normal month. Include the pleasant ones: a visit to the market, a community lunch, a haircut, or an evening with friends. Think about time of day, weather, distance, and whether you prefer company along the way.

If transportation comes up in your expo conversations, ask practical questions. How far in advance is booking needed? Which areas are served? What assistance is available? How are costs explained?

For an example of support available through our organization, you can read about Remember When HealthCare's transportation services in Nova Scotia and PEI.

Understanding an option now gives you something concrete to consider if your routines change later.

How can educational presentations make the day more useful?

A presentation gives you time to sit with a topic and understand the questions behind it.

The expo's educational Stage Feature presentations are an opportunity to hear from professionals and learn something you can use in everyday planning. The seminar schedule will be released next week, with presentation titles, speakers, and times shared through our expo updates.

Once the schedule is available, choose a topic that connects with something already on your mind. You might also make room for a subject you know little about. Sometimes the most useful information is something you would not have known to search for.

Write down one question before the presentation begins. Afterwards, note the idea you want to remember and where to find more information. If the topic involves an individual decision, ask how to arrange an appropriate follow-up conversation.

There is no need to remember every detail. A good takeaway might be a clearer explanation, a useful contact, or the confidence to ask a more specific question when you get home.

Where do finances and housing fit into aging well?

They influence the choices that feel possible, so they deserve attention while there is time to explore. You may love your current home but wonder about the work it takes to maintain it. You may be curious about moving closer to activities. You may want to understand the ongoing costs of an idea before deciding whether it belongs in your plans.

Begin with your priorities. How important is location? What would you miss if you moved? Which responsibilities would you welcome the chance to reduce? Are there features you would want in any future home?

When speaking with a professional, ask how their service works, what it costs, and what information they would need before giving personalized advice. Ask for written details you can review at home. You can also ask what questions to bring to your own financial or legal adviser.

Exploring a possibility does not commit you to it. Gathering information can help you put an idea aside just as confidently as it can help you pursue one. Both outcomes are useful when the decision affects your everyday life.

How can the conversation include different abilities and experiences?

By beginning with the person and making room for different ways of participating.

People arrive at later life with different incomes, homes, cultures, relationships, and abilities. Some live alone.

Some share a home. Some have lived with a disability for many years and already have considerable knowledge about adapting environments and finding workable solutions.

Age-friendly research highlights why the relationship between the person and the environment matters; the same setting will not serve everyone equally well (Menec et al., 2011).

That is why useful questions are specific. Does this option work for a renter? Can information be provided in a format I can use? Is the activity accessible to someone with my needs? What happens if the standard approach does not fit?

The expo welcomes people living with disabilities as well as anyone exploring aging well. There is room for questions about access, choice, and participation at different stages of life. Your experience is relevant, and your own priorities should guide the conversation.

How can you make the most of your visit without feeling rushed? Choose a small purpose for the day and leave space to be curious.

Before coming, write down two or three things you would like to understand better. They might concern your home, an activity, or a future decision. If you are attending with someone else, each person can bring their own questions.

Check the presentation schedule when it is released, and build your visit around anything you particularly want to hear. Allow time between conversations. You do not need to speak with every exhibitor for the day to be worthwhile.

When you collect information, add a short note explaining why you wanted it. A brochure marked “ask about entrance options” is easier to use later than a stack of papers with no context. If you are coming from elsewhere in Nova Scotia, check your travel arrangements and

the event updates before leaving. For venue or access questions, contact our team at care@rwhc.ca so you can plan your visit with the information you need.

What could you do with what you learn afterwards?

Give yourself time to sort it out, then choose one manageable action.

That action could be discussing an idea with someone you trust, reading about a program, asking for a quote, or making an appointment to explore a question in more detail. It could also be deciding which information to keep for another time.

If you attend with a friend or family member, compare notes without assuming you noticed the same things. Ask, “What interested you most?” before offering your own conclusions. A shared outing can open a conversation, but the choices still belong to the person whose life is being discussed.

Our earlier article, Senior Homecare and Aging with Confidence: Five Decisions That Protect Your Independence, offers further reading about personal priorities and planning.

You can also explore our free resources at home. Learning can happen a little at a time, whenever a question becomes relevant.

Why bring this conversation into the community?

Because useful information should be easier to find, and people should have opportunities to ask questions in person. An event cannot remove every barrier to aging in place. Housing costs, transportation gaps, and access to services require work beyond a single day. We can still create a place where people meet, compare ideas, and learn where another conversation might begin.

For Remember When HealthCare, the expo is an opportunity to listen as well as share information. What people want to keep doing, what they are curious about, and what feels difficult to navigate all belong in a conversation about aging well.

There is value in leaving with something modest and useful: a name, a clearer question, or an idea that makes the future feel more approachable. Those are worthwhile reasons to come through the door.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a specific concern to attend?

No. You are welcome to come because you are interested in aging well, exploring local resources, or thinking ahead. Bring a friend, partner, or family member if you would enjoy learning together. You can browse, ask questions, and attend presentations according to your interests.

When and where is the Halifax expo?

The Aging Your Way Expo is Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cedar Event Centre, 111 Clayton Park Drive, Halifax. Admission is free. Check the expo page for updates and the forthcoming seminar schedule.

What is worth taking away?

Aging well begins with the everyday life you want to enjoy. The Aging Your Way Expo offers a chance to explore the homes, connections, activities, and practical choices that can support it. Come with a question or an open mind, and give yourself permission to begin with one useful conversation.

References

Levasseur, M., Généreux, M., Bruneau, J.-F., Vanasse, A., Chabot, É., Beaulac, C., & Bédard, M.-M. (2015).

Importance of proximity to resources, social support, transportation and neighborhood security for mobility and social participation in older adults: Results from a scoping study. BMC Public Health, 15, Article 503. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1824-0

Menec, V. H. (2003). The relation between everyday activities and successful aging: A 6-year longitudinal study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 58(2), S74–S82. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/58.2.S74

Menec, V. H., Means, R., Keating, N., Parkhurst, G., & Eales, J. (2011). Conceptualizing age-friendly communities. Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 30(3), 479–493. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0714980811000237