Linda Garcia

Linda Garcia is a professor emerita in the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated leadership in interdisciplinary settings, being known for her ability to foster strong collaborative relationships and shared visions within diverse teams.

She was a driving force behind the creation and development of several schools at the University of Ottawa, holding positions as department chair, vice dean and founding director of the LIFE Research Institute.

Professor Garcia’s research focuses on the quality of life of older adults. It is funded by government agencies, the Alzheimer Society and the private sector. She has edited books, authored numerous chapters and articles, and delivered both peer-reviewed and invited presentations. Professor Garcia has worked on enhanced quality of life in long-term care, intergenerational programs and improved travel for people living with dementia.
More recently, professor Garcia has continued to follow her passion to bring joy to the lives of seniors, regardless of their functional limitations, co-founding the Miroir Foundation, which is dedicated to this cause.

Professor Garcia is not accepting students for thesis supervision.

• Aging
• Quality of life
• Dementia

Professor Garcia is co-president and co-founder of the Miroir Foundation, after retiring from her position at the University of Ottawa in 2023. While she continues to serve as an emerita professor, her focus has shifted to a cause close to her heart.

The Miroir Foundation is a Canadian charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for older adults by investing in initiatives that bring joy, foster connection and alleviate loneliness. It believes that every older person deserves a life filled with meaningful activities and opportunities for connection, regardless of their situation. The word miroir, French for “mirror,” symbolizes its mission. As we age, we reflect on our journey, seeking joy and connection. The mirror is a powerful metaphor for self-discovery, helping us understand who we are and who we wish to become. The Miroir Foundation partners with donors to match their funds for innovative programs offered by others that create ripples of joy in the lives of older adults.
 

Book

• Garcia, L.J., Bélanger-Hardy, L., Jutai, J.W., Łuszczyńska, M. (2022) Well-being in Later Life: The Notion of Connected Autonomy, Routledge, 220 pages.
• Garcia, L.J., McCleary, L., Drummond, N. (2020). Evidence-informed approaches for managing dementia transitions: Riding the Waves, 272 pp, Elsevier.

Book chapters

• Garcia, L., Bélanger-Hardy, L. and Lagacé, M. (2021) To care or not to care: What have we learned from COVID-19 about our attitudes toward older adults? In Maria Luszczynska (ed) Ageing and COVID-19, Routledge.
• Garcia, L. J., Bélanger-Hardy, L. (2020) Including Participants who cannot communicate in research on ageing? In Maria Luszczynska, ed, Researching Ageing:  Methodological Challenges and their empirical Background (pp.274-291), Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
• Lagacé, M., Garcia, L., Bélanger-Hardy, L. (2020) COVID-19 et âgisme: crise annoncée dans les centres de soins de longue durée et réponse improvisée?  in Colleen M Flood, Vanessa MacDonnell, Jane Philpott, Sophie Theriault & Sridhar Venkapuram, eds, Vulnerable: The Policy, Law and Ethics of COVID-19 (pp.329-338, Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

Peer reviewed articles

• ILC Canada (Margaret Gillis, Kiran Rabheru) and LIFE Research Institute (Louise Bélanger-Hardy, Linda Garcia, Martine Lagacé, Michael Mulvey) (2020) Protecting Human Rights During and After COVID-19: Challenges to the Human Rights of Older People in Canada, Report to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, June.
• Fraser, S., Lagacé, M*, Bongué, B., Ndeye, N., Guyot, J., Bechard, L., Garcia, L., Taler, V., Members of the CCNA Social Inclusion and Stigma Working Group¥, Adam, S., Beaulieu, M., Bergeron, C.D., Boudjemadi, V., Desmette, D., Donizzetti, A. R., Éthier, S., Garon, S., Gillis, M., Levasseur, M., Lortie-Lussier, M., Marier, P., Robitaille, A., Sawchuk, K., Lafontaine, C., & Tougas, F. (2020). Ageism and COVID-19: What does our society’s response say about us? Age and Ageing., 49 (5), 692-695.
• Garcia, L., McCleary, L., Emerson, V., Léopoldoff, H., Dalziel, W., Drummond, N., Cohen, C., Koehn, S., Silvius, J. (2014). The Pathway to Diagnosis of Dementia for Francophones Living in a Minority Situation. The Gerontologist, 54(6), 964-975.
• Garcia, L.J., Hébert, M., Kozak, J., Sénécal, I., Slaughter, S.E., Aminzadeh, F., Dalziel, W., Charles, J., & Eliasziw, M. (2012). Perceptions of family and staff on the role of the environment in long-term care homes for people with dementia. International Psychogeriatrics, 24(5), 753-65.
• LPAA Project group (ordre alphabétique: Roberta Chapey, Judy Duchan, Roberta Elman, Linda J. Garcia, Aura Kagan, Jon Lyon, & Nina Simmons-Mackie) (2000). Life Participation Approaches to Aphasia: A Statement of Values for the Future. ASHA Leader, 5(3), 4-6.