One Topic Two Disciplines Webinar Series: Supporting Older Women in Ways that Work

Drs. Saara Greene and Alison Shea will discuss the complex challenges associated with addressing women’s health - and the ways interdisciplinary approaches may bridge the gaps.
Dr. Saara Greene
Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr. Alison Shea
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences
Although there has been an increased visibility of and attention on the experiences of older women within cultural, social, medical and public health discourses, there continues to be a pathologizing approach to addressing women’s bodily experiences as they age. Health and social care research on women and aging often frame women’s bodily experiences as bodies at risk and/or that need to be controlled, often excluding the lived experiences of women in determining what they need.
More recently, there has been a trend toward research that positions the voices of older women within the health and the social sciences and that aims to develop best practices. This includes attention to older women’s experiences of sexual and reproductive health including menopause, physical and mental health, and women’s engagement in medical decision making. A critical aspect of this approach to research is to also develop approaches to knowledge mobilization that reaches a wide range of stakeholders including health and social care professionals, allied service providers that work with older women, and the diverse community of women that they serve.