Our team at the Ontario CLRI at Baycrest is thrilled to welcome 10 post-secondary students from various health professions across Ontario. They will be the first group of interns to work virtually with us for summer 2021. This internship provides interns the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in the gerontological field. Students will participate in small group learning focused on aging, clinical issues in gerontology, and interprofessional skills.
“We’re excited to share experiences with the students of what it’s like to live and work in long-term care. Fostering positive experiences paves the way for students seeking careers in long-term care,” says Raquel Meyer, manager of the Ontario CLRI at Baycrest team.
The first cohort of students will be at Baycrest until the end of June when most will return to their studies. Please join us in welcoming these 10 exceptional students!
The Ontario CLRI develops, delivers and evaluates educational resources and programs to train the current and future LTC workforce. We build on partnerships with homes, colleges and universities to provide in-person, blended and virtual training for interprofessional teams, as well as student placements and internships.
Meet some of the Innovation and Aging Interns!
Christine Barnes
I just recently graduated from Western University with a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Rehabilitation Sciences. I will be starting my Masters of Physiotherapy at Dalhousie University in September. I love to be outside and I love being active, as well, throughout COVID I have been improving my cooking skills and having fun in the kitchen. I hope to be able to learn more about geriatric-specific care.
Octavia Bullen
Hello, my name is Octavia Bullen. I played competitive ice hockey since I was ten years old and I played up until the age of seventeen. I enjoy being active and also enjoy staying grounded in nature and being outside. I am extremely blessed to be part of the CLRI at Baycrest and hope to build on my dreams of being a nurse that cares for elderly patients and residents. My learning goals for the internship would be to incorporate previous nursing knowledge into best practice gerontological care and to be able to strengthen and maintain collaborative partnerships with other interns within the internship I look forward to building ideas and a deeper understanding of the process of aging.
Sara Emira
My name is Sara (pronounced phonetically) and I’m so excited to be joining the team. I’m going into my 4th year at McMaster University where I’m majoring in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology. I’m also pursuing a concurrent certificate in Rehabilitation Sciences. Upon graduation, I’m aiming to complete my MSc in either Physical or Occupational Therapy. Over the past 3 years, I have consistently sought out opportunities to work in different clinical settings, gain research experience and develop the skills necessary to become a strong clinician and scientific educator. My passion lies in clinical work, and I have been blessed with the opportunity to work/volunteer in general outpatient, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, MS rehab and pediatrics. In my free time, I’m actively involved in the local art scene as a writer, editor and artist.
Blake Filderman
I am entering the fourth year of my undergraduate degree in honours Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University. During my time at Laurier I noticed that there is a growing need for resources and health care professionals in the field of gerontology due the ageing population. This led me to pursue experiences in this area which has sparked my passion for working with older adults. I found volunteer experiences on the palliative care floor of the Baycrest hospital and as a meals on wheels driver for Circle of Care to be particularly impactful. I am currently making further inquiries into the provision of health care for this segment of the population through an undergraduate thesis. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Ontario CLRI internship in innovation and aging where I can work with a multidisciplinary team to accomplish a variety of learning goals. These include showing compassion to residents within long term care, learning to identify the needs, interests and abilities of older adults, learning about the best practices and future innovations in this field, improving his observational and clinical skills, and learning how to best incorporate the resident and their family in the health care decision-making process. I am currently working towards gaining admission into medical school. I hope to be able to take what I will learn throughout this internship and apply it to a future career in medicine.
Katelyn Stachow
My name is Katelyn and I am in my final year of the Recreation and Leisure Studies program at Brock University with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation. I am passionate about working with older adults – getting to know people as individuals, learning about their lives and what is important to them, and helping to support their quality of life through meaningful leisure engagements.
Through this internship, I look forward to collaborating in an interdisciplinary environment to better understand each team member’s strengths and how they contribute to the quality of the healthcare team. Motivated by my love of learning and desire to make a difference, I want to explore what it could look like to integrate research and collaborative learning into my professional practice. This internship provides an amazing opportunity to learn more about gaps in the geriatric field, use innovative methods to solve problems, and promotes a space to practice making evidence-informed decisions in long-term care to support the quality of life of older adults.