Laura Tamblyn Watts is the CEO of CanAge, Canada’s national seniors’ advocacy organization. Her work focuses on aging, inclusion, consumer rights and social justice. She has previously served as Chief Public Policy Officer at the Canadian Association of Retired Persons and in a number of positions at the Canadian Centre for Elder Law including as their long-time National Director. She is faculty at the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work where she teaches Law and Aging at the University of Toronto. Laura is an incoming Board member of IIROC, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. She is a Board member Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, and is also a Board member of PACE Independent Living, a housing and services non-profit which provides attendant care to persons with physical differences. She helped to co-found Canada’s second low income seniors’ legal services centre, SeniorsFirst BC, located in Vancouver, and served as its first Legal Director. She was awarded the Distinguished International Fellow Award from Stetson University Centre for Excellence in Elder Law and is a Canadian representative to the International Guardianship Network, and Fellow of the World Congress on Adult Guardianship. Laura is the author of numerous papers on aging issues and is a frequent media commentator.
Laura is at work on her first book which will soon be available on proposal to publishers, THE 3AM GUIDE TO YOUR AGING PARENTS: Your parents probably read a few books to figure out how to take care of you. Now it’s your turn to take care of them. In the great role reversal of your lifetime, THE 3AM GUIDE TO YOUR AGING PARENTS is your new WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING for taking care of your aging parents! Hilarious, practical and helpful, Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge and a leading expert on aging and advocacy for seniors, guides you through the questions and conundrums that keep everyone with aging parents awake at night.
Laura is represented by Samantha Haywood for her writing and by Rob Firing for speaking engagements.