Baycrest Health Sciences & Baycrest Foundation Publications
Issue link: http://baycrest.uberflip.com/i/906253
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION IMPACT QUALITY OF CARE Message from Dr. David Conn, Vice President, Education, and Faith Boutcher, Director, Academic Education & Interprofessional Education The need to train the next generation of clinicians and researchers who specialize in the care of older adults has never been more urgent than it is today. For the first time in Canada, there are now more seniors than children. By 2025, 20 per cent of the population will be over 65. As an academic health sciences centre and global leader in healthy aging and geriatric care, Baycrest is preparing for the health needs of older adults by investing in educational innovations that will empower current and future healthcare providers as well as consumers. This year has been an exceptional one for innovations in education at Baycrest. Technologies such as virtual reality, gaming apps and web-based learning have given us the tools to create effective new ways to enhance learning and impact the quality of life of older adults. Simulating scenarios with a client who has dementia both online and in the classroom offers an engaging and interactive approach to experiential learning for students, trainees and staff. Interprofessional collaboration is a key element of many of these educational initiatives including an exciting and creative project with George Brown College students that led to the development of 15 new recipes for older adults with swallowing and nutritional issues. The launch of a new learning management software system this year means that Baycrest can deliver courses and training 24/7, anywhere in the world, to staff, students, volunteers, clients, families and caregivers. This investment in education is another example of Baycrest's commitment and efforts over the past 100 years to build on traditional teaching methods and widely disseminate knowledge that will advance the care and quality of life of older adults. All of these achievements and more are the result of the hard work and ingenuity of our staff, students and collaborators and would not be possible without the ongoing support and generosity of our donors, government and funding agencies. Sincerely, 1