Story
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) BC: bridging information gaps about aging with spinal cord injury
The Health Promotion Community Investments (HPCI) team at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) supports the upstream, health promotion efforts of over 65 partner organizations across the VCH Region through Sharon Martin (SMART) Health Promotion Program and Community Food Action Initiative (CFAI) longer-term, core operational funding grants. One of our SMART partners, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) BC, has recently completed an innovative project to support peers as they navigate the challenges of aging with spinal cord injuries.
Aging with a spinal cord injury (SCI) presents unique challenges, and SCI BC’s peer-led Aging with SCIprogram is here to help. Developed and launched in 2024 with the support from VCH’s One-Time-Only (OTO) Health Promotion & Capacity Building Project Grant, the program aims to build community capacity, reduce systemic barriers and improve opportunities for health and well-being. It helps peers navigate the changes that come with aging.
Peer support bridges information gaps about aging with SCI
The program was born out of the community’s needs, identified and championed by Duncan Campbell, SCI BC’s Peer Support Specialist and one of the founders of the sport of wheelchair rugby. Reflecting on his own experiences, Duncan realized he was unprepared for the expenses and health changes that come with aging. His journey inspired the creation of the program, aimed at helping others plan ahead and navigate these challenges more comfortably. [1]
Right to left: Duncan Campbell PLY, Kirsten Sharp, Hilary Brown, Barry Araña on the “Keeping Healthy for the Road Ahead” panel at SCI Health Forum
Photo courtesy of SCI BC
Duncan emphasizes that his generation of people with spinal cord injuries has more options to maintain health than ever before. However, there are big gaps in information and resources related to aging. [2]
Jocelyn Maffin, SCI BC’s Associate Director of Service Delivery, explains that “… experienced clinicians didn’t want to be called an ‘expert’ in aging with SCI because there’s so little published research or best practices available. Peer experiences are particularly powerful in situations like this, where they have this outsized ability to tell the story of what we know and what to expect and communicate to peers that they aren’t alone.”
The program has been a success from the start, generating high levels of engagement from peers, including those from rural and remote areas, and those who have never participated in any SCI BC’s peer programs before. Together, the group discusses health and support issues they experience, share information, and support each other. Over the course of the project, they also help co-develop clear, usable information resources on their areas of priority health and information needs.
“Appreciate the Aging with SCI video series. Having a SCI in my 60s is very different than my teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and even my 50s. So important to know options and to find what works best for you.” – Sandy, Aging with SCI program participant
Learning and growing together
To ensure that peers can be better prepared for the changes that may come with aging, the program covers a wide range of topics, including social isolation, physical activity, mobility, and financial planning. The group explores a new topic each month, starting with a peer discussion group that identifies a list of questions followed by an education session two weeks later with a clinician presentation addressing the group’s questions. Recordings of these educational sessions are posted on the program webpage along with a variety of health and support information. Participants also identified the need for a Women & Aging with SCI group that built on a closed peer-led 8-session workshop series on Menopause and SCI.
The program was able to leverage additional support from SCIRE Community to collaborate on a video series, covering some of the top issues identified by surveyed aging peers. [4]
Results from the Aging with SCI Survey on priorities.
Source: Your Priorities for SCI BC's Aging with SCI Program - Spinal Cord Injury BC
After the success of these program enhancements, funded by the VCH OTO grant, Aging with SCI has been now integrated into SCI BC’s existing ongoing peer support programs, partly with additional new funding from other funders.
VCH’s ongoing support for non-profit organizations
VCH is proud to support peer-driven and peer-led programs like Aging with SCI to address health promotion priorities affecting communities. These initiatives offer community-led solutions where evidence-based practice is underdeveloped and build community capacity to address public health needs.
About One-time-Only Health Promotion and Capacity Building Project grants
The One-time-Only Health Promotion and Capacity Building Project Grants provide funding opportunities for projects that are one-time-only in nature and intent, and that lead to greater equity in wellness by building on a community's social, environmental, cultural and economic foundations. OTO grants support organizations to respond to time-limited (rather than ongoing) community and/or programmatic needs, and OCB grants increase the capacity of a health promotion program or organization and its staff in their work.
Find out more:
- Aging with SCI program page and video explainer
- Aging with SCI video series
Sources:
[1] Wood, L. (2024, December 12). Aging with SCI: Be Prepared! SCI BC. https://sci-bc.ca/aging-with-sci-be-prepared/
[2], [3], [4] Wood, L. (2025, February 24). Press Play on Aging with SCI. SCI BC. https://sci-bc.ca/press-play-on-aging-with-sci/
[5] Wood, L. (2024, January 2). Your Priorities for SCI BC’s Aging with SCI Program. SCI BC. https://sci-bc.ca/your-priorities-for-sci-bcs-aging-with-sci-program/