MB Tech Week: Tech for Good – Aging Well and Supporting Families and Communities
As Manitoba’s population ages, technology offers more than convenience – it enables new models of care that support independence, accessibility, and quality of life for families. This year’s MB Tech Week celebrates how technology can improve lives, bringing together local innovators, community organizations, and changemakers to explore how technology can drive meaningful, people-centred impact.
Among more than 50 events celebrating made-in-Canada innovation across Winnipeg, Winkler, and Morden, Care Possible is proud to host a Tech for Good session focused on Aging Well and Supporting Communities. As a not-for-profit social enterprise created by the 75-year-old nonprofit Manitoba Possible, this session explores how technology can help Manitoban families navigate caregiving, coordination, and decision-making while supporting healthy aging.
For many families in Manitoba, finding reliable, vetted in homecare support has long been a challenge. Families often turn to informal channels or online classifieds in search of help, with inconsistent outcomes and varying confidence. This gap was one of the driving forces behind the birth of Care Possible, which serves Manitoban families and now has over 2,000 registered users.
As Michael Coutts, Care Possible’s Director of Social Enterprise, shares:
“Technology doesn’t replace care, it makes it available to more people. When we remove barriers but keep the humanity, we give families space to focus on what matters: relationships, safety, and dignity.”
This commitment aligns strongly with the theme of this year’s MB Tech Week.
How Tech Can Enable Aging in Place Without Losing the Human Touch
Our session at MB Tech Week uses the Care Possible journey as a lens to explore what it takes to build technology-enabled services that really work for people, especially older adults, caregivers, and care providers.
Technology as a catalyst for access to care
Technology serves as a powerful catalyst for improving access to care by streamlining how families find and coordinate support. Care Possible allows users to search for qualified, vetted care providers based on skills, location, availability (and more), replacing the uncertainty of informal searches.
Families can manage appointments, communicate through built‑in messaging, and handle payments electronically, all within a single digital system that simplifies paperwork and reduces administrative burden. By integrating these functions, technology reduces administrative burden and frees up more time for caregiving.
Engaging care capacity through community-driven innovation
Care Possible strengthens Manitoba’s care system by unlocking the capacity that already exists within local communities. By making it simple for independent, vetted care providers to join the platform and offer services (supported by background checks and provider profiles), the model expands the pool of available workers and helps families find support that reflects their unique personal needs.
This community‑rooted approach not only grows capacity but ensures care remains trusted, local, and responsive to the needs of Manitobans.
Scaling social innovation through licensing and social finance
Tech isn’t helpful if it isn’t available long term. Sustainability is essential for any tech‑enabled model, and social finance, impact investing, and technology licensing approaches can combine to ensure these tools continue serving communities well beyond proof of concept. To really deliver social impact, long‑term sustainability models remain a key part of the discussion.
Our upcoming session on Monday, February 23 invites participants to explore how tech-enabled care can evolve without compromising quality or compassion. Together with community-minded organizations, public-sector partners, and private innovators, we’re building a future where more Manitobans can age safely, confidently, and independently at home, right where they want to be. Come learn more!
About Care Possible
Care Possible is a non-profit social enterprise by Manitoba Possible, dedicated to providing affordable, flexible, and preference-based in-home and respite care services. We support seniors, individuals with disabilities, and families using self and family-managed care in Winnipeg. Our mission is to ensure that every Manitoban who accesses care has an excellent experience.