Author: Noel Gruber

New article highlights how the Ontario CLRI is putting research into practice

The Ontario CLRI collaborates with researchers to share their research findings and implement the evidence into practice in long-term care (LTC). The Ontario CLRI has learned the importance of collaborating with a variety of partners during this process and has published these learnings in a new article in Public Policy & Aging Report.

The article is authored by Stacey Guy and Shilpi Majumder, who support knowledge mobilization at the Ontario CLRI. It features the Ontario CLRI’s Nutrition in Disguise (NiD) project as an example. The NiD research showed that including nutrient-dense recipes on menus in LTC homes improves resident health outcomes. Ontario CLRI Knowledge Brokers sought insight from dietitians, menu planners and chefs to understand how menus are planned and recipes selected. Collaborations with chefs, culinary and nutrition students, LTC homes, and food distributors led to the development, testing, revision, and adoption of new nutrient-dense recipes for LTC home menus.

Key learnings from this work included the importance of building on existing relationships and creating new ones with additional collaborators. Recognizing the costs and benefits for all partners of implementing research evidence into practice was also important.

Click here to access the full article, Fulfilling the Potential of Evidence-Based Research: The

Collaborative Nature of Implementation, in Public Policy & Aging Report.

The Nutrition in Disguise resources are made available through the Ontario CLRI at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA). These resources are based on research completed by the RIA, the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph, in partnership with Schlegel Villages. This research was made possible with the generosity of George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies Limited.

Have your say in the Ontario CLRI Program Impact Survey

LTC Frontline staff smiles at camera, standing with other team members behind her. Text overlaid says "We want to hear from you"

The Ontario CLRI has launched a short survey to assess our program’s impact and identify areas for improvement. The survey is now open to the LTC sector until June 15, 2022, and can be filled out online for a chance to win one of five $50 Amazon gift cards!

We are seeking input from everyone in long-term care, from leadership to team members, residents, families, students, educators, and more.

We know those in long-term care are especially busy, so we’ve kept it short: in 15 minutes or less you can share your experiences with and perceptions of Ontario CLRI activities and impact.

Survey responses will be used to help guide future activities to support long-term care. 

Fill out the survey and share it with others in LTC!

English Survey

French Survey

Supporting Resident Quality of Life During Isolation

So many LTC homes face continual challenges that come with residents being made to isolate because of COVID-19. This was the topic of a recent question brought up by our Social Worker and Social Service Worker Community of Practice, a group supported by the Ontario CLRI at Bruyère and Family Councils Ontario. Our social work (SW) and social service work (SSW) colleagues shared what they have been doing to mitigate loneliness and isolation for residents during times when they are spending the majority of the day in their rooms. Below is a compiled list of strategies and resources to support the quality of life for residents during periods of outbreak and isolation they may have to go through. We hope hearing from other homes will spark ideas and solutions for your own home and/or community.
Social Worker in LTC Virtual Community of Practice.

Three key themes emerged from the group around enhancing the quality of life of residents in isolation or in outbreak protocols:

  • Technology: There’s a variety of ways to get technology into the hands of residents in your home and it will make all the difference to virtual engagement – especially if they come with Wi-Fi access. Residents have enjoyed using YouTube or iTunes to watch movies/videos or listen to music that can help boost the morale of residents. These devices can also help support virtual visits with family and friends. Look to the community for donations of old tablets and phones with Wi-Fi capabilities.
  • Public library resources: Utilize your local library – Public libraries often have book sets (including audio books) for lending and a variety of online programs. Read books either in resident groups or via aloud over the PA system to reach residents in their rooms.
  •  1:1 Check-Ins: Taking the time to check in with residents and their families, as team members are able, is crucial to residents; well-being during outbreaks/isolation. This is a role that SWs and SSWs in LTC are fulfilling regularly.

Hallway activities

Hallway activities bring residents together at their doorways and can allow for appropriate spacing between residents, while still being able to follow COVID-19 protocols. Some examples for hallway activities SWs and SSWs shared are listed below:

  • Art: Painting or drawing is a great way to help residents express their creativity.
  • Bingo: Use printed Bingo pages; you can also use themed Bingo pages.
  • Music program: Residents can use bells, shakers, or other instruments to create songs
    and play along to music.
  • Drum Fitness: Using exercise balls and drumsticks (or cut pool noodles as an adaptation)
    is a great activity where everything can be sanitized.
  • Spiritual programs: Prayer Groups, Hymn Sing (when singing is permitted), chair yoga, and mindfulness activities such as setting intentions, reading reflections, breathing exercises, and guided meditation.
  • Collaborative story or poem: Using a whiteboard or iPad have the residents pick a theme and take turns adding sentences or lines to the story/poem.
  • True or False: Using paddles, have one side representing “True” and the other representing “False.” As you ask your questions, residents raise their paddles with their answers for everyone to see.
  • Crosswords/Trivia: Print copies of your clues/questions for residents to follow along. Giant crosswords can be mounted on boards to make them portable and easy to set up on a stand in the hallway.
  • Leisure Time: Prepare a variety of activities for residents based on what they feel like doing in that moment.

Additional Resources

  • Strategies for Building and Maintaining Social Connection for Long-Term Care Home Residents – This report (done earlier on in COVID-19) provides strategies identified from published research and illustrated with stakeholder input that can help build and maintain social connections in LTC residents. (ENCOAR Research Team)
  • Social Relationships are Important for the Mental Health of people living in long-term care homes – An Infographic (available in French and English) showing the connection between social connectedness and physical and mental health and well-being. (ENCOAR Research Team)
  • A Guide to Virtual Creative Engagement for Older Adults – this guide can help LTC address the under-stimulation and loneliness felt by residents from restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The VCE Guide features a curated list of free virtual services appropriate for residents with various health conditions and ability levels. The guide is intended for recreation therapists, social workers, nurses and other team members in LTC.  (Ontario CLRI at Baycrest)
  • Boredom Busters – Developed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce boredom and loneliness for residents in LTC, this tool pulls together links to free resources and activities. The tool can be utilized by family care partners (and team members) who are spending time with residents and looking for creative ways to engage. Available in English and French. (Ontario CLRI at Bruyere and iGen Ottawa)

Thank you to the members of the SW and SSW in LTC Community of Practice for bringing up this important question, for the spirit of sharing ideas and willingness to have these ideas shared more broadly.


Bruyère logo

Now Hiring Multiple Positions for PREP LTC

A group of people site with laptops and paper at a table. "We're Hiring Regional Engagement Liaisons"

All hosts centres of the Ontario CLRI  are hiring key positions for the Preceptor Resource and Education Program in Long-Term Care  (PREP LTC). The Regional Engagement Liaison will be responsible for planning and implementing strategies to engage LTC homes, academic institutions, students and preceptors within an assigned provincial region. These positions will be part of an Ontario-wide team of Regional Engagement Liaisons.

Come work with a collaborative and innovative team dedicated to making an impact where it’s needed most!

 

We are also hiring a communications officer and knowledge broker to support PREP LTC:

New project provides financial support to long-term care for optimal clinical placements

Preceptor Resource and Education Program in Long-Term Care (PREP-LTC)

Ontario long-term care homes will receive education and financial support to provide optimal clinical placements for personal support worker and nursing students through the Preceptor Resource and Education Program for Long-Term Care (PREP LTC) project. This $73M project, funded by the Ministry of Long-Term Care, is being led by the Ontario CLRI at the  Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) in collaboration with the Ontario CLRI teams at Baycrest Health Sciences and Bruyère. 

Over the next three years, backfill funds will be sent to eligible Ontario long-term care homes to support more than 15,000 student placements and train more than 17,000 preceptors in homes across the province. PREP LTC will help build a highly-skilled workforce to address the staffing needs of the long-term care sector. 

We are thrilled to lead this project and support successful student clinical placements in long-term care,” said Tina Mah, PhD, Executive Director of the RIA. “This project not only supports students in gaining much-needed skills and experience in working with older adults but encourages them to pursue meaningful careers in the long-term care sector.”

PREP LTC will provide long-term care homes with financial support to host student placements for personal support workers, registered and registered practical nurses, and build capacity to accommodate future placements. In addition, the project will develop eLearning and mentoring tools to equip long-term care preceptors or mentors with the necessary skills to support positive and successful student placements.   

The PREP LTC team will build on the success of the Ministry-funded Preceptor Education Program (PEP) in collaboration with the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College, developing eLearning courses specific to long-term care. PREP LTC will also strengthen and establish new partnerships between homes and educators to increase opportunities for placements. 

Ontario long-term care homes that had active student clinical placements in the 2021-22 fiscal year are eligible for funding. 

Apply for PREP LTC funding

Read MLTC press release

 

 

Last Call for PSW Education Fund – Enroll Now!

Don’t miss a chance to get high-quality training for your LTC teams through the Personal Support Worker Education Fund!

The Fund gives LTC homes tuition and backfill for the virtual delivery of two excellent education programs to enhance person-centred care in LTC, a priority identified in the recommendations from the Ontario Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission:

  1. The Excellence in Resident-Centred Care (ERCC) provides team members with practical skills in person-centred care and includes a focus on infection control. It was co-developed by Conestoga College and the RIA. Homes must enroll by March 30, 2022.
  2. LIVING the Dementia Journey (LDJ) is an award-winning, evidence-informed training program for those who support people living with dementia. Participants gain awareness and understanding that changes not only the way they view dementia but the way they support people living with it. The program was created by the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging’s Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program in collaboration with people living with dementia and their care partners. Homes must enroll by March 25, 2022.

LTC homes can enroll to receive funding for either or both education programs. Virtual training sessions run until March 31, 2022.

Open to all frontline team members.

Learn more on the PSW Education Fund website.  

CSA Group LTC Standard Consultation – What We Heard Reports

National standards are essential tools to ensure the production or delivery of consistently high-quality products and services. Since the Spring, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has been leading the development of the first National Standard of Canada (NSC) for long-term care; Operation and Infection Prevention and Control of Long-Term Care Homes (CSA Z8004).

The Ontario CLRI recognizes that the infrastructure and design of these environments influence how care and services are delivered in LTC homes so the team at Bruyère team has been actively engaged in the consultation process:

  • We supported a consultation session for 2LGBTQI+ community members and allies in August 2021
  • We collaborated with Carleton University and the CSA to host a consultation session for Francophone frontline workers

The CSA Group prepared detailed summaries of each consultation into a What We Heard Report and What We Heard Infographic.

Explore these on the CSA Group web page.

Sign Up by March 31 to Use LIPHA for Innovative Training

Use LIPHA to train team members and support workforce retention: Available for Ontario-based LTC homes at no cost until March 31, 2022. 

LIPHA is a virtual training solution that helps LTC homes with their onboarding and training processes for newly hired staff. Learners are rapidly trained and oriented to LTC through real-world game-based simulations that focus on best practices, safety, and teamwork to support person-centred and relational care.

LIPHA has been an excellent way to put students’ knowledge to the test and provides a unique way of learning. Since there is a storyline and the game is set in Ancient Carthage, which is different than the modern-day we are used to, I find that I am able to remember information quicker and easier. I’m looking forward to completing future missions and experiencing what LIPHA has to offer.    – RPN student

CABHI and Ontario CLRI will support Ontario-based LTC homes to incorporate LIPHA into their existing training initiatives at no cost.

Sign up today to access LIPHA until March 31, 2022, and join other LTC homes in delivering innovative training!

Details for access beyond March 31, 2022, are still in development.

eLearning on Dementia and Sexuality from Behavioral Supports Ontario

The Behavioural Supports Ontario Sexual Expression and Dementia Working Group is pleased to announce the release of its first e-module: ‘Dementia and Sexuality: An Introduction’.

Bust shot of Tom and Clare hugging This free e-module, developed with the support of the Regional Geriatric Program-Central (RGPc), is available on the ‘Geriatric Essentials’ (previously called Frailty E-Learning) website, which presents learners with an array of e-modules about topics such as cognition and depression: https://geriatricessentialselearning.ca/ 

‘Dementia and Sexuality: An Introduction’ employs a case-based approach with the aim of inviting learners to understand how people living with dementia may express their unmet needs, including those pertaining to sexuality and intimacy. Since myths and stereotypes about sexuality and dementia are firmly established so much so that they shape our interactions, they are explored in the e-module along with practical strategies to support people living with dementia across various settings.

 

 

 E-Module features

  • Content and narration available in English and French
  • Interactive exercises are included in each case study
  • Flexible pause points with the option to save one’s progress
  • Opportunity to participate in pre- and post- surveys to evaluate the e-module
  • Option to download a certificate of completion
  • Accessible on computer, tablet, and smartphone devices
  • Free of charge!

The introductory e-module is the first of a four-part series, each addressing complex themes about the sexual and intimacy needs of people living with dementia. The Ontario CLRI team is joining the working group for the development of the next three modules in the series.

COVID Resource Page Updated

We have updated our COVID-19 web page to better serve the current LTC priorities and challenges as the sector navigates the Omicron variant. The web page houses useful tools to support LTC homes during the current wave of COVID, including internal and external resources for:

  1. Team member mental health
  2. Orientation for new staff
  3. Person-centred care
  4. Families and care partners support
  5. Communication at end-of-life and palliative care

Explore these at clri-ltc.ca/covid19 and let us know if there are resources your home needs that are not represented here – email us at info@clri-ltc.ca

Please note the French update will be released soon.