Event Date: Mar 25, 2024



Recording | Related Resources

Canada’s long-term care (LTC) homes were founded on an institutional model where residents were viewed as passive recipients of care. However, involving residents in the design of their long-term care home’s environment, programs, and operations may improve the residents’ quality of life and other outcomes. The objectives of this webinar are to:
  1. Describe existing approaches to engage LTC home residents in the organizational design and governance of their LTC home.
  2. Outline plans to interview residents, staff and administrators for their perspectives on this type of engagement and co-design a program to engage LTC residents in organizational design and governance of their LTC home.
This integrated KTE webinar event is brought to you by brainXchange in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Canadian Consortium of Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). 


Presenter(s):

Jim Gilhuly, Resident Expert Advisors and Leaders (REAL) Member and Board Director, Ontario Association of Residents Councils
Jim has resided at Sunnyside Home Long-Term Care in Kitchener for four years because of a progressive muscular disorder.  He acknowledges the first-class clinical care he receives. He has learned though that more needs to be done in the LTCHs for the well-being of the whole person. Physical and mental health, because of their interconnectivity, need to be appreciated for the impact one has on the other; whole person-centred care must be adopted.  Residents must be kept mentally alive as well as physically. The culture must be driven by a philosophy that is based on humane thinking, not institutional efficiency and profit-making economies. Jim has a background in adult education as an administrator. He advocates and practises lifelong learning for himself and others.

Chloe Lee, Quality and Evaluation Specialist, Ontario Association of Residents Councils
Chloe Lee is the Quality and Evaluation Specialist for the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils. She is a research coordinator for the current project, Empowering Ontario’s long-term care residents to shape the place they call home. She previously completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences from McMaster University and a Master of Public Health, specializing in Health Promotion, from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Gale Ramsden, Resident Expert Advisors and Leaders (REAL) Co-Chair and Board Director, Ontario Association of Residents Councils
Gale resides at Perley Health in Ottawa. Her goal is to raise awareness of what long-term care looks like today and work towards a new model which rights the current shortfalls dealing with mental health, loneliness, helplessness, and the lack of purpose. Gale is passionately focused on the culture change necessary to empower resident centered living in LTC and enable residents to live their best life and form the place they call home.

Jennifer Bethell, Affiliate Scientist, KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Jennifer Bethell is an epidemiologist and health services researcher with research interests in aging, social connection, mental health, long-term care home settings and patient engagement. She is co-lead of the Engagement of People with Lived Experience of Dementia cross-cutting program of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging.