In 1950, only 1% of Canadians with Down syndrome lived to 40. Today, more than 30% are older than 40 and thriving, but most health-care systems and training programs do not focus on aging issues, leaving adults and seniors with Down syndrome without the specialized care they need. As life expectancy continues to rise, the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) is drawing attention to this gap and announcing a nationally accredited course for health-care professionals to help address it.

“Our messaging is evolving to focus on lifelong inclusion and care,” Laura LaChance, executive director for the CDSS, tells strategy. “For years, we’ve highlighted community, belonging and opportunity – and now we’re expanding that conversation to include health equity and aging. What remains constant is our belief that people with Down syndrome deserve the same informed, compassionate care and respect as every other Canadian.”

To get the message out, the CDSS launched its “We Deserve Care,” campaign nationally on Oct. 19 across social and digital platforms, inviting Canadians to support the creation of the new accredited training course. The creative and media buy was done in-house and Glossy led PR.

Designed to raise awareness and drive donations, the campaign features Canadians with Down syndrome aged 40 and older who are thriving in their communities – at work, on dates and out with friends. Each vignette challenges misconceptions and highlights the need for health-care systems that make an active, fulfilled lifestyle possible throughout aging.

“It moves beyond awareness to drive systemic change by funding a nationally accredited health-care training course, the first of its kind in Canada, to ensure lasting impact,” LaChance says. “CDSS is working to reframe public understanding – from viewing Down syndrome as a pediatric issue to recognizing it as a lifelong journey – and to ensure health-care systems evolve to support adults who are thriving well into later life. Because this is one of the first generations reaching older adulthood, health-care systems and education have not yet evolved to meet their needs.”

For this campaign, CDSS is reaching Canadians through a broad, digital-first media mix, including social (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube), Google search and display ads, CBC Gem display advertising and influencer partnerships. “The multi-channel approach is designed to both educate and drive donations,” LaChance says. “Digital and social channels have proven most effective, as they allow CDSS to share real stories and spark conversation across generations.”

In 2023, the CDSS launched a photo essay helping Canadian seniors and adults with Down syndrome issue a bold declaration: “Here I Am.” Shot by photographer Hilary Gauld, that campaign, like the current one, aimed to debunk one of the prevailing myths about people with Down syndrome: that they do not live into their senior years.

In a campaign rolled out in spring of this year, the CDSS launched another photo series by Gauld, entitled “It Was Never Okay: Forward Not Backward,” calling on Canadians to address systemic barriers that continue to impact people with Down syndrome. That campaign was launched ahead of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21.