Canada’s governments must apply the lessons of COVID-19 to create a more gender-just future International Women’s Day, March 8th, is the annual commemoration that invites Canadians to take stock of the progress made toward gender equality in our country and beyond. But in 2023, more than three years after the COVID-19 crisis was declared, this…
Seniors must be offered the opportunity to age in place with the help of their caregivers
By 2030, 25 per cent of the Quebec population will be 65 or over. Today, this proportion is 21 per cent, and the pressure on public residences for long-term care (CHSLD) in Quebec is already becoming too much to manage. This reality hit us during the first wave of the pandemic when deaths from COVID-19…
How one student found her voice as an advocate for patients and other nurses
Cool air blew from above, nearly as bracing as the antiseptic smell of chlorhexidine that wafted through the operating room. The surgeon bent over a completely still older man, carefully inserting a small wire into an artery in the patient’s groin, searching for the path to repair an aneurysm. It was the first time Hanna…
The nurse-patient relationship is being re-shaped by the proliferation of technology
When Gillian Lemermeyer decided at age 17 to become a nurse, she was following in her mother’s footsteps, so she expected her mom to be thrilled when she told her the news. “I was surprised when she grew very serious,” Lemermeyer remembers. “She said, ‘Okay, but do you understand what it means to be looking after…
Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at a desk
We know that school kids spend too much time sitting at their desks. Now we have some evidence-based recommendations to counter that sedentary behaviour. They offer guidelines to educators, parents and caregivers to help school-aged children grow and thrive. “It kind of challenges traditional views of learning,” said Valerie Carson. “Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at…
U of A expert brings 25 years of research to project involving caregiver support organization and local tech company
Sitting up in the darkest hours of early morning, comforting his wife as she struggled with a panic attack, Darren Hinger was exhausted, knowing he had to work the next day. “I was saying to myself, I already know I’m exhausted, I don’t have anything left to give, I have to get some sleep to…
U of A nursing researcher’s new study seeks input from family members and facilities to understand impact, plan for next pandemic
COVID-19 visitor restrictions may be even harder on residents of assisted living homes than on those in long-term care because of the vital role family caregivers play in helping with essential care tasks, according to Matthias Hoben, an assistant professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Nursing. “In assisted living, the residents are more independent and…
Once we decide to be kind, we find ourselves experiencing belonging. This is what caregivers, paid or unpaid, can teach the rest of society
In 2004, the effects of our son’s disabilities spiralled into serious illness and constant pain. As a caregiver and mother, I was raw and vulnerable – it was the worst of times. I remember saying to doctors and family members, “I need you to be kind to me. I really need that.” The problem with kindness…
U of A specialist identified gaps in care as patients age, developed app on his own time to ‘make a difference’
A University of Alberta family doctor has developed an app that he hopes will improve medical care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Kyle Sue, clinical assistant professor of developmental pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, built the app with the help of a friend to present family physicians with the best treatment…
Understanding different lifetime patterns of caregiving can inform supportive policies to help people cope, say U of A researchers
To most people, ‘caregiving’ means looking after ailing relatives in their final years. But the reality is much different, with the actual workload lasting up to 30 years for some, according to University of Alberta research. The study, the first of its kind to gauge caregiving across a person’s lifetime, debunks the myth that looking after an…