AGE-WELL Older Adult and Caregiver Advisory Committee (OACAC), October 2025 From left: Dr. Kunal Parikh, Jessica Luh Kim, Caron Leid, Sherry Baker, Olive Bryanton, and Dr. Noelannah Neubauer Missing: Mary Brachaniec
AGE-WELL is delighted to welcome four new members to its Older Adult and Caregiver Advisory Committee: Mary Brachaniec, Jessica Luh Kim, Noelannah Neubauer, and Dr. Kunal Parikh. Their lived experience and professional insight will play a key role in shaping AGE-WELL’s work to support healthy aging and caregiving in Canada.
Mary Brachaniec Atlantic Region Representative
Mary Brachaniec is a former physiotherapist who volunteered with The Arthritis Society and served on the CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis – Knowledge Exchange Task Force. She was on the technical committee of the Health Standards Organization (HSO) Long-Term Care Standard published in 2023 and is currently a technical committee member for the HSO Palliative Care Standard.
Ms. Brachaniec also serves as a Patient Partner with the CIHR Chronic Pain Network and the University of Regina Pain in Older Adults research team. She took on these roles as a former caregiver for her parents and late husband. Ms. Brachaniec joined the AGE-WELL Older Adult and Caregiver Advisory Council to help shape initiatives that support healthy aging and caregiving. Read more.
Jessica Luh Kim Central Region Representative
Jessica Luh Kim’s commitment to improving the lives of older adults and caregivers is both personal and professional. Inspired by her childhood experiences, she has spent 25 years in aging and health care, excelling in roles across community services, research, education, startups, long-term care, and senior living. Her work to transform the culture of aging in Canada earned her the 2022 Walk with Me Trailblazer Award, and as an independent consultant in Canada and the U.S., she continues to share her expertise globally.
A caregiver/care partner to the elders in her family, Ms. Luh Kim balances these responsibilities with her career and raising two children alongside her husband. She brings her lived experience and deep commitment to AGE-WELL, helping advance solutions that make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians. Read more.
Dr. Noelannah Neubauer Prairie Provinces Representative
Dr. Noelannah Neubauer has been involved with AGE-WELL since its inception in 2015, first as a trainee (Highly Qualified Personnel) and later as a member of its HQP Advisory Committee. She has contributed to several national and provincial organizations, including serving on the board of the Alberta Association on Gerontology, co-chairing the Rapid Response Working Group with the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, and co-chairing the Early Career Advisory Council with Allied Health through Alberta Health Services.
Drawing on over a decade of research designing technologies for older adults and caregivers, Dr. Neubauer now works as an Occupational Therapist System Case Manager with home care in Edmonton (Alberta Health Services), supporting older adults with complex needs transitioning home from hospital. She is also a primary caregiver for three of her grandparents. Read more.
Dr. Kunal Parikh Central Region Representative
Dr. Kunal Parikh is a physician-turned-digital health strategist dedicated to transforming health care through technology, aging innovation, and caregiver support. After three years in medical practice in India, he shifted to digital health, leading initiatives that reshaped care delivery. He helped scale a startup serving 12,000 unpaid caregivers across North America, and his graduate research on virtual caregiver training inspired his TEDx talk, “Did You Know You Are A Caregiver?”
A recipient of Queen’s University’s Award of Excellence, Dr. Parikh designed “The Anatomy of an Ideal Caregiver Intervention” workshop and co-authored “The Digitally Empowered Patient.” He is a Senior Systems Analyst at The Ottawa Hospital and teaches digital health innovation at Algonquin College, advocating for inclusive, caregiver-integrated health care. Read more.
AGE-WELL wishes to recognize the long-serving committee members taking on new roles within the network while remaining connected to the Older Adult and Caregiver Advisory Committee (OACAC). Ron Beleno, Chaitali Desai, G. Burn Evans, and Marjorie Moulton – we are deeply grateful for your leadership and dedication on the OACAC and for your continued involvement. Special thanks also to Caron Leid, former OACAC Vice-Chair, who now serves as Co-Chair of the OACAC alongside Sherry Baker.
Older adult and caregiver breakfast, hosted by the AGE-WELL Older Adult and Caregiver Advisory Committee, October 2025
The OACAC advises AGE-WELL leadership and the Board of Directors on how best to engage older adults and caregivers in the network’s work. The committee brings essential lived-experience perspectives to AGE-WELL initiatives – for example, by conducting relevancy reviews of funding applications.
“Older adults and caregivers are central to everything AGE-WELL does. The OACAC plays a crucial role in informing our work and ensuring lived experience is reflected across the network,” said Bridgette Murphy, CEO of AGE-WELL, Canada’s technology and aging network. “We welcome the new committee members and thank the continuing members, along with those serving in new roles – all of whom have given so much – for the tremendous knowledge and expertise they bring.”
As part of a recent review, the OACAC explored ways to further broaden and deepen the involvement of older adults and caregivers in the network. One recommendation is Connections Conversations, an online discussion series about aging, life’s triumphs and challenges, and how technology can support older adults. The sessions, now underway, are for older adults by older adults.
For a full list of OACAC members, visit https://agewell-nce.ca/people/oacac