Research Themes
Research & Training for Workforce Optimization
Program Collaborators:
Josie d'Avernas, RIA
Susan Brown, RIA
Marlene Raasok, Conestoga College
John Richards, Conestoga College
Kristie Clark, Conestoga College
A key element of the RIA's collaborative practice model is living classrooms on-site in care homes that engender spontaneous interaction among students, staff and residents and provide students with first-hand experience in Long Term Care and retirement living environments.
For example, the Village of Riverside Glen serves as a Conestoga College Campus for students enrolled in the college's Personal Support Worker program and Practical Nursing program. Currently approximately 40 students attend classes daily at the Village of Riverside Glen. Students spontaneously interact with residents and come to appreciate the joy of working with seniors. In one of many examples, a student was working on her term paper in the cafe area and was joined by a resident, who, she discovered, had education and a long career closely related to the topic of her paper. This was of great benefit to the student and resident alike. The student obtained important insights for her paper, and the resident found meaning in her day. It is examples like this that demonstrate achievement of Schlegel Villages' mission: to provide life purpose for residents within a caring community environment.
Currently, the students are using temporary classroom space, but when the new building opens (currently under construction), it will include purpose-built classroom space, computer labs, a clinical room with mannequins, model bedroom and common area spaces typical of Long Term Care.
Living classroom space is also in place at the Village of Winston Park in Kitchener, where Conestoga College delivers courses in Recreation Management for Older Adults, as well as a bridging program to allow PSWs to build on their training and experience to qualify to work as Registered Practical Nurses. A unique feature that makes this program very popular is its design as a part-time studies program.
A second key element of our collaborative practice model is professional development programs for staff working with seniors. The award-winning "Excellence in Resident-Centred Care" program illustrates this. Motivated by an interest within Schlegel Villages to enhance the skills of PSWs in providing care that is resident-centred, a working group led by Kristie Clark completed a needs assessment, reviewed the literature on best practices, then developed and implemented this innovating training approach.
In line with RIA's objective of dissemination of results and knowledge transfer, plans are underway to package and market this course broadly to Long Term Care homes in Ontario and beyond.
A third key element of the collaborative practice model is integration of gerontology content and interprofessional principles into college and university curricula across a wide spectrum of programs that train sutdents destined for careers working with seniors. The Schlegel Chair for Enhanced Seniors Care takes the practice-based learning from working closely with staff in Long Term Care and retirement living, and working closely with staff at Conestoga College, enriches the gerontology content in various courses.
Current Research Projects
| Project Name | Principal Investigator |
| Evaluation of IPE-IPC and Integration into College Curriculum | Mary-Lou Van der Horst Marlene Raasok Josie d'Avernas |
| Evaluation of Leadership Courses | Mary-Lou Van der Horst Marlene Raasok Josie d'Avernas |
| Excellence in Resident-Centred Care | Susan Brown Schlegel Villages |
Completed Research Projects