An Interview With Daniel R. Y. Gan — BC Real Estate Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am an Urban Design and Mental Health (UD/MH) Fellow, with an interest in mental health implementation science. I trained and practiced as an urban designer prior to my doctoral studies on neighborhood atmosphere and the mental wellbeing of older adults. I am very happy to be awarded a Fellowship by the Real Estate Foundation to support healthy aging in place, right here in British Columbia.

What current research are you working on?

There are several streams of work, all of which contribute to better eudaimonic wellbeing among older adults in community. Eudaimonia is a conceptualization of mental wellbeing that prioritizes self-development as much as positive emotions. It is important to remember that self-development is an on-going process, even in old age, and it affects one’s everyday relationships. This includes loneliness or at-homeness. The material and ecological dimensions of these dynamics are somethings that keep me up. They suggest practical ways to age well, both as individuals and as communities.

What do you most enjoy about working with the GRC?

The diverse expertise and well-established relationships with community organisations make the GRC a very stimulating space for research. I love it that there is an audience ready to engage with new research ideas at the Seniors Housing Update, and have been overwhelmed by responses which led to the Feeling Right At Home (FRAH) quiz. Check out the interactive quiz here: __.

What brought you to Simon Fraser University?

The Canadian society has gone through a lot, and SFU is Canada’s engaged university. As far as I understand, SFU offers unparalleled legal protection for graduate students. More universities should emulate the learning and research environment created here to serve society and local communities.

What inspired you to study aging/gerontology?

I saw how my late uncle (and aunt) spent their last years in a city that was foreign to them, and I thought surely that could be made better in an urban environment. There are just so many potentially meaningful connections and resources. How might the spaces we design facilitate those connections? And how about our services and everyday practices? How might we add meaning to healthy life years? Those questions become more important as life span steadily increases, and more of us age in place.

What interests do you have outside of your research?

I love hiking with great company, and reading a good book that transgresses disciplinary boundaries – that’s where the most exciting bits are! The latest book that I am gawking over is Dementia: Living in the Memories of God by John Swinton. Hit me up if you’d like to discuss it, say over a (virtual) book club or coffee.

What are your goals for your time at the GRC?

I’d love to develop and pilot (1) community-based interventions to improve eudaimonic and cognitive health with (2) inputs from older adults and service organizations, while drawing upon (3) large datasets such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Such trans-epistemic endeavor should advance the age-friendly field and reshape it from three prongs.