TORONTO, November 8, 2012 – York University Professor Pat Armstrong will collaborate with Ottawa’s Bruyère Research Institute in a major project to identify healthy aging strategies in long-term residential care.
The Government of Canada announced funding for the “Healthy Ageing in Residential Places” (HARP) project today (see media release and list of projects).
Armstrong and her team will identify promising practices for thinking about, planning and organizing for active, healthy aging in residential long-term care. The study at Bruyère is a pilot for research that will be done in Ontario, Sweden, Norway, England, and integrated with a larger project in Scotland, Germany, two U.S. states and four other Canadian provinces. The focus on promising practices reflects the researchers’ conviction that there is no one right way to delivery long-term care, and that all the study jurisdictions can learn from practices elsewhere.
“By taking a broad view of health that includes mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects, we hope to identify healthy aging strategies that will enable both residents and staff to live better, perhaps longer and more fulfilling lives,” said Armstrong, a Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at York University.
“Bruyère is honoured to be working with international leaders in the field of seniors’ research,” said Peter Walker, Chief Scientific Officer of Bruyère Research Institute. “This funding will not only support research required to ensure that seniors can age in health and dignity, but also enable Bruyère to learn from innovators in other jurisdictions.”
Comparative, collaborative case studies are central to the project. They will provide detailed information on physical, economic, environmental, social and behavioural conditions that shape and define healthy aging for residents and staff in specific care facilities.
The main technique is the application of a new method in this field – rapid site-switching ethnography. It is designed to capture the rich detail necessary to identify strategies for active, healthy aging by bringing local and foreign researchers together to study two facilities in each country.
The funding from the Government of Canada was provided through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
About Bruyère Continuing Care
Bruyère Continuing Care is the champion of well-being for aging Canadians and those requiring continuing care helping them become and remain as healthy and independent as possible through innovative and compassionate care, research, education and advocacy. Located in Ottawa, Bruyère Continuing Care provides complex continuing care, palliative care, rehabilitation, care of the elderly, long-term care, research and family medicine. One of the largest health care centres of its kind in Canada, Bruyère Continuing Care includes: Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital, Saint-Vincent Hospital, Élisabeth Bruyère Residence,Saint-Louis Residence, Bruyère Village, Bruyère Family Medicine Centre, Primrose Family Medicine Centre, Bruyère Research Institute, and Bruyère Foundation.
About York University
York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York’s 11 faculties and 28 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.
About Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Media Contacts:
Janice Walls, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22101, wallsj@yorku.ca
Andrea MacLean, Bruyère communications manager, 613-562-6262, ext. 4022 or 613-808-0202.
