More than $2.1 million will be invested over the next five years to support continued research at Conestoga College that will improve the quality of life and care for Canada’s growing population of seniors.
Dr. Veronique Boscart, Conestoga’s CIHR/Schlegel Industrial Research Chair for Colleges, will continue research to improve the quality of life and care for Canada’s growing population of seniors.
The CIHR/Schlegel Industrial Research Chair for Colleges was established at Conestoga in 2012 through the College and Community Innovation program managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
The five-year renewal through 2022 includes a further $1 million investment from NSERC and CIHR, matched by funding provided by partner organizations.
“Our Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges provide a platform for fresh thinking through dynamic exchanges between academia and industry,” said Dr. B. Mario Pinto, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. “Dr. Boscart and her team are preparing Canada’s aging workforce across different fields and industries to meet the evolving challenges on a scale that we have never seen.”
Dr. Veronique Boscart, Conestoga’s CIHR/Schlegel Industrial Research Chair for Colleges, combines extensive clinical practice experience with graduate education, postdoctoral research focused on knowledge translation, and teaching expertise. Her research interests include evidence-based care in gerontology, curriculum development in gerontological education for nurses and health-care professionals, and care models for residential care settings.
“As the population ages, the number of seniors with complex health care needs will continue to increase, and many will require support,” said Dr. Boscart. “I am excited to have the opportunity to continue my work as the Chair to bring evidence-formed best practices into community and residential settings.”
Schlegel Villages, owner and operator of 19 long-term care and retirement communities, serves as the primary practice collaborator for the Chair, and will contribute $500,000 to the initiative over the next 5 years, building on an established partnership that also includes Living Classrooms for Conestoga’s personal support worker and practical nursing students as well as collaboration through the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA).
“We are pleased to be a partner and see the great work of Dr. Boscart and her team continue,” said Paul Brown, COO at Schlegel Villages. “This investment in innovative education and training will benefit the residents and families we serve, as well as those across the country.”
Additional industry partners include Essity, PointClickCare and Health eTraining International.
“We greatly appreciate the support of our government and industry partners in this important initiative,” said Conestoga President John Tibbits. “The continued work of Dr. Boscart and her team to enhance the quality of life and care for older adults will have a significant impact on the well-being of families and communities here in our region and across Canada.”
The Schlegel Centre for Advancing Seniors Care, located at Conestoga’s Doon campus in Kitchener, works in collaboration with researchers, health-care professionals and the community to develop innovative education, improve workforce development and strengthen care practices in order to support care for seniors and their families.
For more information, visit http://www.conestogac.on.ca/centres/seniors-care.