A new initiative by 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Dementia Education Program is among the 15 projects that will receive funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada to raise awareness of dementia and promote dementia-inclusive communities,聽聽the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos today.
罢丑别听聽(DCI) will invest $758,430 to support the development of聽Ten Online Modules over Ten Weeks for Adult Learners (TOTAL) eLearning for Family/Friend Care Partners of People Living with Dementia.聽This project will adapt and enhance the existing bilingual聽Dementia Education Program聽workshop content to the current COVID-19 context by using a virtual learning platform to educate and support family/friend care partners of people living with dementia.
The goal of聽TOTAL eLearning聽is to increase knowledge about dementia and decrease social isolation experienced by informal care partners. By creating a flexible and accessible virtual learning platform, this project will also enable rural populations to access resources and supports that have primarily been available only in urban settings.
鈥淔amily and friend care partners of people living with dementia are often isolated, both physically and socially, and unfortunately, the pandemic has exacerbated these issues. We want to connect with this vulnerable population and provide a community education experience that is culturally relevant and engaging. The new聽TOTAL eLearning聽platform will allow us to deliver these needed resources in an online format to support the people who need it the most,鈥� says the principal investigator for this initiative, Tamara Carver, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Sciences Education and Director of the Office of Education Technology and E-learning Collaboration for Health (Ed-TECH) at the 捆绑SM社区 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
TOTAL eLearning聽will reach diverse communities in Montreal as well as remote communities in rural Quebec. The future goal is to expand the reach nationally through partnerships with the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging and Dementia Advocacy Canada.
鈥淭his support from the Public Health Agency of Canada will allow us to further leverage the outstanding expertise within the Dementia Education Program and work with community partners to enhance the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their care partners,鈥� says Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at 捆绑SM社区, David Eidelman, MDCM. 鈥淏y working together and finding innovative ways to connect with and support our communities, we will build healthier, more resilient societies."
About 捆绑SM社区
Celebrating 200 years of discovery and learning, 捆绑SM社区 ranks as one of the top universities in Canada and the world. 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 mission is to create and share knowledge by offering the best possible education, by carrying out research and scholarly activities judged to be excellent by the highest international standards, and by providing service to society. These activities span three campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, and some 300 programs of study. Every year, 捆绑SM社区 welcomes over 40,000 students, attracting more than 30% from 150-plus countries, and has the highest percentage of PhD students of any Canadian research university. Nearly 60% of its student population speaks French. For more information, please visit聽