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Education/training

Working with seniors

Old age is nothing new. But the way societies deal with it differs from place to place and generation to generation. In Canada, residential homes -- whether providing long-term care or retirement living -- are one of the favoured options these days . The trouble is -- or at least was -- a lack of formal training for anyone who wanted to work in management with seniors.

DAVID CHILTON -- Special to the Toronto Sun

[ 2006-01-18 ]

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PETROU
Centennial College

That deficiency is being addressed, however, by schools such as Centennial College, which started its Long Term Care and Retirement Facilities Management program in September 2004. The program, offered through Centennial's Continuing Education division, is the only one of its kind in Toronto, says its co-ordinator, Andrew Petrou.

The program came about at the prompting of the care and retirement industry, he says, which approached Centennial with its concerns and suggestions for formal training for potential or actual managers or those wanting to move into a supervisory role.

"The industry came to us and said, 'we need to start certifying people a lot better'," Petrou says. "Ryerson (University) had a program, but I think they already shut it down. At first we presented (the course) as a full-time program, but the typical student couldn't take it as a full-time program." Students were working, Petrou continues, so Continuing Education was the only way to move forward.

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION

That first year Centennial offered 20 places in the program, Petrou says, recalling that there were more than 200 applicants for those spots. This year the college has enrolled 40 students. Most of them are women and most of them are over 35.

The criteria for admission to the program varies, although applicants need a diploma or degree in related fields such as health sciences, community services, recreation and leisure or tourism and hospitality. Work experience in the care industry is also considered.

Petrou says if students take a full course load they can finish the program in about 18 months. Subjects such as financial management, biological aging, facilities management, and food service and nutrition are on the syllabus.

Students must also complete an off-campus work placement. At the moment, the placement runs for 14 weeks, although that may be changed. Each course costs about $280 and students can pay as they learn. Government subsidies paid directly to Centennial mean that each course is about $150 cheaper than it otherwise would be, Petrou says.

Eric Harela, an environmental services supervisor at a Mississauga nursing home, enrolled in the program in 2004. He says he's taking the course to stay current with administration and management in the long-term care and retirement sector.

"Human resources, food services, they're all evolving fields," Harela says. "They're always changing. You need to be current." Another reason for his enrolling is a chance to meet and learn from others in the industry, he says. A third reason, and this is longer term, is to introduce to seniors in residential homes the treatment and care he offered while working as a chiropractor and naturopath for more than 20 years.

Angela McLellan, a health care aide at a nursing and retirement home in Bowmanville, says she enrolled in the Centennial program so she could upgrade her skills and move ahead. She says she already knows some of the information taught in the classroom from her 16 years in long-term care, but she appreciates learning the managerial skills that will allow her to look for administrative positions once she graduates.

COMPASSION

Even though their reasons for taking the program differ, both Harela and McLellan say that anyone considering the course must have compassion and enjoy working with seniors. You have to like the environment, McLellan says, because there's no in-between.

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