Category: Central CLRI

Welcome to Our Summer CO-OP Students

This summer, the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) at Bruyère welcomes seven University of Ottawa co-op students that will be joining our team virtually or in-person.

The students come from a wide range of fields, including biochemistry, communication, political science, and more. Their academic backgrounds and diverse strengths will support their contributions to Ontario CLRI portfolios such as sustaining palliative care, equity, diversity and inclusion in long-term care (LTC), clinical nursing leadership, recreational therapy, and central communications.

As part of our commitment to educating the current and future LTC workforce, the Ontario CLRI is proud to provide developmental training and experiences for these students.

“Our team is excited to offer a supportive workspace of growth and learning for co-op students this summer. We are investing in an enhanced student development so that the students have an optimal experience and may increase their interest in a career supporting seniors.”
— Zsófia Orosz, MA, MHA, Director, Ontario CLRI at Bruyère

During the first two weeks of their placement, the students participated in an engaging orientation process to facilitate team-building, self-reflection, and an understanding of Ontario CLRI initiatives.

The students will be working with their respective teams at Ontario CLRI at Bruyère or the central Ontario CLRI team until they resume their studies in September.


Meet Some of our Students

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

PSW Learning Preferences Survey Results

In early 2020, the Ontario CLRI launched a sector-wide survey to begin to understand PSWs’ learning preferences and identify potential solutions and supports to mitigate some of the educational challenges PSWs presently face.

Thanks to the 200 respondents, the Ontario CLRI identified several opportunities to align with the educational preferences of PSWs in long-term care (LTC).

Please note that the survey was launched during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the number of responses received was likely reduced and may have impacted learning preferences. Future assessments can be completed to capture any change in learning preferences.

It is our hope that the findings of this report will provide valuable insights around actionable steps the Ontario CLRI and other educators in LTC can take to create learning opportunities that align with PSWs’ preferences.


THE TOPICS PSWs WANT TO LEARN ABOUT

EDUCATION FORMAT AND DELIVERY PREFERRED BY PSWs

WHO DO PSWs WANT TO LEARN FROM?

WHERE DO PSWs WANT TO LEARN?

PSWs PREFERRED LEARNING FORMATS

PREFERRED LENGTH OF TRAINING EVENTS


WHO WERE THE SURVEY PARTICIPANTS?
  • Female (91%)
  • Between 35-54 years old (54%)
  • Speak English as their first language (88%)
  • Caucasian (80%)
  • 10+ years as PSW (53%)
  • Currently work in long-term care (88%)

THE TOPICS PSWs WANT TO LEARN ABOUT

PSWs respondents told us the topics they would like to learn more about, including learning preferences for team members and leaders. The top five training topics included resident, personal and staff mental health and well-being, responsive behaviors, personal expression, end-of-life care, palliative care, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.

  • 87% – Resident mental health and well-being
  • 84% – Resident responsive behaviors, personal expressions
  • 82% – End-of-life and palliative care
  • 81% – Team member mental health and well-being
  • 79% – Alzheimer’s and other dementias

EDUCATION FORMAT AND DELIVERY PREFERRED BY PSWs

PSW respondents reported on why and how they would prefer to learn.

WHY DO PSWs WANT TO LEARN?

Why do PSWs want to learn? 24% want to be better at their job. 24% want to gain credible skills. 19% like learning. 17% want to advance their career. 16% want to make their job easier.

Figure 1. A pie chart demonstrating why PSW respondents want to learn. The top three reasons included to be better at their job, to gain credible skills and because they enjoy learning.

WHO DO PSWs WANT TO LEARN FROM?  

  • 86% – Professional educator/teacher
  • 74% – Experienced PSWs
  • 60% – Nurses or other clinicians
  • 39% – Clients/residents, families
  • 39% – Managers/supervisors
  • 30% – Researchers

WHERE DO PSWs WANT TO LEARN?

  • 47% – Where they work
  • 30% – Somewhere local
  • 22% – Where they live
  • 9% – Somewhere that requires travel

PSWs PREFERRED LEARNING FORMATS

PSWs preferred learning format. 82% prefer demonstration. 62% prefer coaching. 51% prefer discussion. 50% prefer listening. 59% prefer simulation. 52% prefer practice. 51% prefer reading. 50% prefer diagrams.

Figure 2. A pie chart demonstrating what formats PSW respondents want to learn from. The top three responses included demonstrations, coaching and discussion.

A bar chart demonstrating PSW respondents’ preferred modalities of training. The top three modalities included hands-on, videos and presentations.

Figure 3. A bar chart demonstrating PSW respondents’ preferred modalities of training. The top three modalities included hands-on, videos and presentations.

PREFERRED LENGTH OF TRAINING EVENTS

A pie chart demonstrating PSWs respondent’s preferred length of training events. Both longer (3-4 hours) and shorter (30 minute) events were preferred.

Figure 4. A pie chart demonstrating PSWs respondents’ preferred length of training events. Both longer (3-4 hours) and shorter (30 minutes) events were preferred.


Based on these findings, PSWs were most interested in learning about residents and personal mental health and wellbeing. Most would prefer this training to take place at their site of work, via demonstrations, hands-on, video and presentation formats and be taught by a professional educator and/or instructor. Half-day (3-4 hour) training sessions were preferred by PSWs followed by shorter (30 minutes – 1 hour) sessions. Likely a mix of both longer and shorter training sessions would be ideal.

 

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.

Release of French IPAC and Nursing Leadership eLearning Courses

The Ontario CLRI is proud to announce the release of our French IPAC and Clinical Nursing Leadership eLearning courses. These courses were developed with experts from the IPAC and nursing community in Canada. Courses can be used to train Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs), PSWs, LTC team members, volunteers and families or essential care partners.

IPAC courses now in French

  • Break the Chain of Transmission: IPAC Core Concepts and Practices – This eLearning Course reviews the IPAC core concepts and practices that are essential for preventing and controlling infection. It is the prerequisite for the scenario-based courses in the IPAC series. The course is for LTC team members and essential caregivers.
  • IPAC While Travelling to and From an LTC Home – This eLearning course will apply the skills and knowledge from Break the Chain of Transmission to typical situations that can happen while travelling to and from an LTC home. The course is for LTC team members and essential caregivers.
  • IPAC While Supporting Residents at Mealtime  – This eLearning course will apply the skills and knowledge from Break the Chain of Transmission to scenarios about supporting a resident at mealtime in an LTC home. The course is for LTC team members and essential caregivers.

Clinical Nursing Leadership  courses now in French

  • Module 1: Communicating Effectively  – This module allows nurses to use effective communication techniques in a variety of contexts and with a variety of people(e.g., colleagues, residents, families, different departments, etc.). Nurses will learn the difference between effective and ineffective communication approaches, be able to describe techniques for giving feedback and recognize the possible consequences of effective and ineffective communication techniques. Anticipated outcomes include improved communication skills to increase team morale and provide the best quality of life for residents.
  • Module 2: Handling Conflict with Care  – This module allows nurses to use effective strategies for managing conflict in a variety of contexts and with a variety of people (e.g. colleagues, residents, families, different departments, etc.). Nurses will learn how to describe several effective strategies for managing conflict and recognize several ineffective strategies for managing conflict and recognize the possible consequences of both approaches. Anticipated outcomes include improved ability to manage conflict and the ability to model how to handle conflict with care.
  • Module 3: Being a Leader – This module will help nurses recognize how they can demonstrate leadership in their day-to-day work. Nurses will learn how to describe characteristics of transformational leaders, recognize myths and misconceptions about leadership, and recognize the differences and similarities between a manager and a leader. Anticipated outcomes include improved understanding of how to develop leadership skills and how to show clinical leadership on the job.

For more information, or to access these French eLearning courses, visit: https://learn.clri-ltc.ca/?lang=fr.

Celebrating the inclusion of person-centred language recommendations in Canadian Press style guides

The Ontario CLRI at the RIA, with Behavioural Supports Ontario and Family Councils Ontario. has taken important steps to change the way long-term care is portrayed in the media!

In 2020, we submitted recommendations to the Canadian Press surrounding the language used while writing about long-term care and included the use of ‘homes’ instead of ‘facilities’ and ‘residents’ instead of ‘patients’, among other suggestions.

We are thrilled to announce that the Canadian Press has accepted these recommendations and already incorporated them into the online Canadian Press style guide. These guides serve as reference materials for Canadian journalists, communications and public relations professionals. The new recommendations have been included into the Sensitive Subjects chapter, in the Age section:

  • The use of LTC home versus facility or institutions
  • The use of resident versus patient
  • The inclusion of living with when writing about a resident living with a cognitive condition, versus suffering from

We hope that the integration of person-centred language recommendations into this reference guide will help raise awareness in the media and communications sectors and will serve as an important step to elevating the profile of long-term care to the general public.

Do you want to learn more about person-centred language? Explore our free eLearning courses and take the online person-centred language pledge to formally commit to using inclusive and respectful language in long-term care.

Find more person-centred language resources for LTC on our website.

 


This proposal was developed by the Ontario CLRI at the RIA in partnership with Behavioural Supports Ontario and Family Councils Ontario.

Call for presentations from LTC homes and researchers

The call for presentations is now closed. Visit the Forum page for details on the upcoming event.

Does your long-term care (LTC) home want to inspire other LTC homes by sharing your equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives?

Are you a Canadian researcher in the area of equity, diversity and inclusion and ageing relevant to the Ontario long-term care sector?

The Ontario CLRI Supporting Diversity and Inclusion Committee invite you to join our virtual forum: Allied for Inclusivity in LTC: A Forum to Build Connections. This is a half-day event that will be held on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Our forum will provide an opportunity for LTC home representatives to come together with researchers to learn more about equity, diversity and inclusion in the LTC sector.

We are inviting LTC homes in Ontario and Canadian Researchers who would like to present their equity, diversity and inclusion work.

COVID-19 has shone a bright light on the systemic injustices, inequity and significant disparities experienced by individuals marginalized by society.  As we focus on action moving forward, our forum aims to build collaborative conversations towards inclusive, equitable and affirming care, services and work environments in LTC communities.

Event highlights

  • Opening and closing keynote presentations from experts in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion in health!
  • Presentations from Ontario LTC homes sharing equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives they are implementing in their home
  • Presentations from Canadian researchers focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion relevant to the LTC sector
  • Breakout Rooms with the opportunity to deep dive into specific topic areas and network with other attendees

Audience

The virtual Forum will bring together delegates from across Ontario representing LTC leadership, interprofessional teams, and researchers working in the area of EDI and ageing/LTC.

Guidelines, Selection Criteria and Sample Submission Form

LTC homes  |   Researchers

Submit a proposal

All submissions of presentations must be submitted via the online application form:

  1. LTC Homes
  2. Researchers

The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 8, 2021, at 5:00 p.m.


 

Surge Learning to host Ontario CLRI eLearning resources

The Ontario CLRI and Surge Learning Inc. are excited to announce a partnership intended to facilitate and further enhance the ease of access to relevant and valuable educational content to team members in the long-term care (LTC) industry across the province. The content will focus on best practices, as well as priority topics such as clinical nursing leadership, end-of-life care, dementia care, acute deterioration, and much more.

Supervisors, administrators, and educators will be able to easily access and assign high-quality eLearning courses developed by the Ontario CLRI via Surge’s learning management system (LMS) portal, which many LTC homes already have access to. LTC Homes will be able to offer team members a collection of dynamic and interactive courses specific to their care environment.

A catalogue of Ontario CLRI learning opportunities will be available on the Surge platform in Summer 2021. New courses will be made available on a regular basis to continue to meet learners’ needs.

“This collaboration offers team members enjoyable learning opportunities in the platform they already know and use, with content that helps staff be better equipped for their roles and to provide quality care to residents in long-term care.” Sophie Orosz, Manager, Ontario CLRI at Bruyère

“We at Surge Learning are excited about this truly collaborative partnership. Staff in Ontario’s long-term care homes can now easily access a multitude of relevant and meaningful topics offered by our two organizations. These learning opportunities bolster essential skills and support staff in the delivery of quality care to the residents that call long-term care homes, their home.” Tulia Ferreira, President and CEO, Surge Learning Inc.

Current Ontario CLRI eLearning courses include the list below. We are grateful to partners and collaborators who have helped develop and guide these offerings and who are listed on each course page.

  • Communication at End-of-Life
  • Clinical Nursing Leadership
  • Infection Prevention and Control in LTC
  • Person-Centred Language for team members and for leaders
  • Adult Learning Principles for LTC
  • Caring for Persons Living with Dementia
  • Team Essentials for Engaging Families in Distress
  • Mealtime Assistance
  • Lifts and Transfers

You can find the full list on learn.clri-ltc.ca 

For more information, contact:
Noel Gruber,
Communications Manager,
Ontario CLRI
noel.gruber@the-ria.ca

Pride Month Resources for LTC Homes

In honour of Pride Month, the Ontario CLRI wants to share some 2SLGBTQI+ resources that can empower long-term care (LTC) homes to create a culture of inclusivity where both residents and team members can thrive regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Our Supporting Diversity and Inclusion in Long-Term Care Advisory Committee has been gathering resources since 2017 to support LTC homes in delivering inclusive care to the diverse populations they serve. This resource list was developed in recognition that resident care can be influenced by individual circumstances, including language, ability, race. ethnicity, religion, spirituality. gender identity, gender expression. sexual orientation and socio-economic status.

Explore the three featured 2SLGBTQI+ resources below:

New eLearning Helps Team Members Learn Palliative and End-of-Life Communication Skills

Transitioning to end-of-life care can be difficult, so it is crucial that long-term care teams develop communication skills to foster therapeutic relationships with residents and their families/friends.

The Ontario CLRI at Bruyere has released three eLearning modules that allows team members to experience communication at end-of-life training from anywhere! The eLearning course will develop or refresh communication skills to provide quality end-of-life and palliative care in long term care homes. The modules include a collection of interactive case scenarios that reflect the unique setting and context of care delivery in long-term care.

This eLearning training aims to replicate pieces of the in-person training. It allows all team members to dispel palliative care myths, learn how to recognize and accommodate the needs of those in mourning, and practice their end-of-life communication skills in three short, scenario-based modules.