This spring, speech-language

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1 Program Evaluation Unit s first research poster wins award Staff members reflect on 30 years of service Google Tech Talk features Virtual Brain project Baycrest is an academic health sciences centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto 3 4 This spring, speech-language pathologists and registered dietitians at Baycrest teamed up with second-year students in George Brown College s Culinary Management Nutrition program as part of an interprofessional education pilot project to teach the next generation of food service professionals about the health and nutritional challenges of an aging population. It s important for our future chefs and food service professionals who will be serving clients in long-term care facilities, retirement residences and in the community, to know how to prepare and present purée and minced foods in a more appetizing way, says Lisa Sokoloff, professional practice chief, Speech-Language Pathology and specialist, International Relations and Interprofessional Education. Sokoloff developed the idea of partnering with the George Brown College program to sensitize students to the nutritional and swallowing issues of geriatric clients. Students learned about common health, swallowing and nutritional issues associated with older age and were challenged to come up with innovative ways to make modified foods look and taste better for people with swallowing problems or nutritional issues related to May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 Keeping an aging population top-of-mind for top chefs Three teams of culinary students from George Brown College took part in a cook-off competition at the college s Waterfront campus on April 4. The competition, developed by Baycrest speech-language pathologists and registered dieticians, challenged students to bring creative flair to unpopular and often vilified purée and minced food dishes for frail, aging seniors. Robby Hersh (centre), speech-language pathologist, gets hands-on with her team. stroke, Parkinson s or Alzheimer s disease. Their mission reinvent the traditional beige plate of food into an elegant, tasteful meal that would not look out of place in a fine restaurant. Canada s rapidly aging population represents a growing customer base for those working in food and nutrition services. Baycrest is hoping the pilot project will inspire school culinary programs to add a geriatrics nutrition and swallowing component to their core curriculum. The project is part of a larger partnership that Baycrest and George Brown have established to advance interprofessional education, with a special focus on care of older adults. Innovations in aging Baycrest Matters is published every second Wednesday by the Public Affairs Department. Send your feedback or submissions to Jessica Lee, editor, or Steph Parrott, contributing writer, at baycrestmatters@baycrest.org or call ext All submissions will be edited for style, grammar, readability and length. The deadline for submissions is the Wednesday prior to the publication date.

2 Baycrest s new Program Evaluation Unit marked three firsts this spring. The team produced its first research poster based on the first study it s undertaken and won its first award. The poster presented just a portion of the results from a 15-month-long study that measured many different aspects of patients abilities and functioning on the 7 East Slow Stream Rehabilitation Unit. It won a People s Choice Award at the GTA Rehabilitation Network s Best Practices Day. Anna Berall, research coordinator, Program Evaluation Unit says the 7 East study is a typical example of the kind of research the new unit is undertaking. We can help develop studies that involve understanding the characteristics of the patient population in a particular program, the assessments and treatments being used, as well as the patient outcomes, she says. In this case, we measured what the patients were like on admission and what they were like on discharge, to determine their clinical course during their hospitalization, she says. In order to get a full picture of what Slow Stream Rehabilitation patients are like, Berall worked with the whole interprofessional team from 7 East, including nurses, physicians and allied health professionals to create a toolkit of assessments measuring various facets of physical and psychological health. Recreation Therapist, Steve Carlson, lent his expertise to help develop an assessment measuring patients social engagement. The study provided a terrific opportunity to establish a tool for gathering data on individual attitudes and participation patterns in regards to engaging in purposeful social pursuits, he says. Saramma John, a registered practical nurse (RPN) on 7 East, contributed to the study by assessing clients using measures of activities of daily living, including things like bathing and dressing. John says she thinks the study will be a great way to get feedback about the care she provides. We look after these patients for three, four, even six months. It s great to be able May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 Program Evaluation Unit s first research poster wins award Innovative evaluation unit is generating new evidence on our programs to measure what the patients were like when they came in and how they may have changed by the time of discharge. In addition to providing feedback to staff, the results of studies undertaken by the Program Evaluation Unit will also help set Baycrest apart as a global leader in geriatric care. The work we re doing will help promote our programs to other institutions in Canada and around the world. We can put them all together to show the results we re getting with our programs, says Berall. Few healthcare organizations are doing this. The Program Evaluation Unit is a small team, made up of Berall, Dr. Jurgis Karuza, head of Program Evaluation, Dr. Paul Katz, vice president, Medical Services and chief of staff, and Dr. Gary Naglie, chief of the Department of Medicine. The team s current projects include a study of programs in the Community Day Centre for Seniors and one focusing on mobility in patients in our Complex Continuing Care Program. The Evaluation Unit is also supporting and aligning with quality improvement initiatives by using the tools and assessments that are considered to be part of best practice care by organizations such as the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). Eventually, the team aims to publish the findings of their studies in peer-reviewed journals. For now, they are producing posters with additional data from the initial study for presentations at major geriatrics conferences across North America. Berall is currently continuing work on the 7 East study, conducting postdischarge follow-up interviews. We re looking to find out what happened to patients months after they ve left the program, she says. Berall will also be following up with staff on the unit to present study findings. This is a way for the clinical team to understand what they contributed to the study and learn about patient outcomes.

3 Service recognition luncheon May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 Staff members reflect on 30 years of service Ruti Enoae, registered nurse, 4 West is celebrating 30 years of service. Debbie Parris, RPN Apotex 4, started working at Baycrest in 198. Each year, the staff service recognition luncheon recognizes staff who have reached years-ofservice milestones in the previous calendar year. This year, more than 30 employees are marking milestones from five years to 40 years and any five-year increments in between. Among the longest-serving staff who will be celebrating this year, are Debbie Parris and Ruti Enoae. Both are marking 30 years of service. When I first started, I said I d be here two weeks, says Parris, a registered practical nurse (RPN) on Apotex 4. Parris was when she moved from Montreal to Toronto and started working on the Rehabilitation Unit in the hospital. I was just a kid, she says. Baycrest was younger then, too. There were just four small buildings, says Parris. I can t believe it, how much it s grown. During their careers here, Parris and Enoae have seen the hospital move from the Posluns building to its current home, the Ben and Hilda Katz building newly built in They were also here when the Rotman Research Institute opened its doors in 1989 and when the new Apotex Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged opened in 000. Enoae notes that to her, one of the best changes has been Baycrest s development as a teaching organization since becoming affiliated with the University of Toronto in Education is so important, she says. As Baycrest has grown and changed, Enoae and Parris have both made some changes in their careers here. Enoae started working in the hospital on the Palliative Care and Complex Continuing Care Units. In 1987 she moved to the Behavioural Neurology Unit on 4 West, which had opened in The unit was the first of its kind to focus on assessment and management of individuals who have brain disorders such as dementia, leading to problems with cognition and behaviour. It s a challenging environment, but Enoae has now been there more than 5 years and says she s found the right place for her. It s where I was needed, she says. It s not just a job. You really have to feel it to be there. Parris also began her career working in the hospital on the Rehabilitation Unit, but after 0 years, she made a move over to the Apotex Centre where she s also found her niche. I enjoy coming here every day, she says. I love the residents. I love seeing smiles on their faces. Just for them to have some happiness in their lives is what I m looking for. Parris is looking forward to celebrating her years of service at the luncheon on May 8. This really is a milestone for me, she says. Thirty years is a long time for a person to spend working at one place. The names of all staff marking milestones at this year s service recognition luncheon are now on the LCD screen on the Employee Recognition Wall (ground floor, hospital). Be sure to congratulate your coworkers who are celebrating. 3

4 Google Tech Talk features Virtual Brain project Dr. Randy McIntosh, vice president, Research and director of the Rotman Research Institute, introduced scientists and researchers at Google to the Virtual Brain in a Google Tech Talk at the company s world headquarters in Mountainview, California on April 1. Dr. McIntosh is the project leader and coordinator on the Virtual Brain project, an international collaboration by neuroscientists at 10 different research organizations that aims to develop the world s first integrated computer model of a fully functioning human brain. The Virtual Brain will assist with the assessment and treatment of brain disorders from stroke to Alzheimer s disease. Researchers at Google are always looking for the latest and greatest developments and they were particularly interested in the Virtual Brain, says Dr. McIntosh. The presentation, Building and interacting with the virtual brain, was streamed live to scientists at May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 Dr. Randy McIntosh gave a Google Tech Talk on the Virtual Brain project in Silicon Valley on April 1. Google s offices in the United States and abroad and is now available on the Google Tech Talks YouTube channel, which boasts more than 145,000 subscribers. This was a great opportunity to gain some exposure for the kinds of innovations that are happening at Baycrest and to explore the potential for collaboration with a leader in the technology sector. Dr. McIntosh says. Got an innovative idea? Share it! Have you ever come up with an idea that you thought could be the solution to a pressing problem related to how you do your work or how you deliver care? Here at Baycrest, the Innovation Engine (Innovation, Technology and Design Lab and the Centre for Brain Fitness) explores, designs, develops and evaluates new solutions to improve the well-being of clients, their families, staff and the broader community. Your ideas could play a big part. Working within our unique campus of programs and services and linking closely with our seniors, Baycrest staff are in the ideal setting for inspiration when it comes to bringing new products, new technologies and new processes to life, says Laurent Moreno, director, Innovation Engine. Moreno notes that the Innovation Engine team includes designers, engineers, graphic artists, software developers and entrepreneurs a diverse, cross-functional team that works in close collaboration with users to ensure the solutions that are developed meet current and future real-world needs. Submissions are welcome from all and as per Baycrest s Intellectual Property Policy, if your project is selected and commercialized you may be eligible to receive some royalties based on the net profit generated from your idea. For further details, please contact Laurent Moreno at ext or at lmoreno@baycrest.org. Send your ideas via the online submission form, at 4

5 Rotman Research Institute hosts summer school for graduate students As one of the world s leading neuroscience research centres, the Rotman Research Institute (RRI) offers students from around the world invaluable opportunities to work with and learn from some of the top scientists in their fields. This is the second in a two-part series on some of the educational programs happening at RRI. Baycrest s RRI had the honour of hosting this year s Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging annual Summer Program in Aging (SPA) from May 5 to 10 at the University of Toronto s Hart House. The week-long educational event gave our scientists the opportunity to share their knowledge with graduate students. This year s theme was Big Science in Aging. Dr. Jennifer Ryan, the host of the program and RRI academic director, along with Dr. Randy McIntosh, vice president of Research and director of RRI, say the theme is an emerging element in research that aspiring scientists need to recognize and understand. It was a great opportunity for trainees to learn how to establish and manage research teams, apply for grant funding, understand the large data sets that are already available to them for research, and to explore knowledge translation activities, explains Dr. Ryan. Perhaps just as important, the trainees got to meet and work with one another and create a network of peers and collaborators with whom they can connect over the course of their careers. Administrative Professionals Day May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 The trainees arrived from across Canada, as well as from Sweden and Chile. Together the 40 students took part in intensive seminars, workshops and mentorship sessions and tried out dragon boating as a fun teambuilding activity. Stephanie Chamberlain, a master s student from Mount Saint Vincent University studying gerontology, found the experience life changing. Previous to this I was very much in my own bubble, she explains. I feel I gained a better understanding of the practicalities of research, and more appreciation for the variety of disciplines in aging research. Ayah Nayfeh, a master s student from the University of Ottawa s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program, found the experience equally enlightening. I feel that this program really opened my eyes and made me aware of a lot of aspects of research that I was not necessarily aware before SPA 013. Students in the CIHR Summer Program in Aging (SPA) took to the water in dragon boats during a team-building session. Baycrest s administrative professionals enjoyed a luncheon in the Winter Garden on April 4 for Administrative Professionals Day. Elayne Coyle, executive assistant, Medical Services; Rhona Porter, executive assistant, Academic Education; Rosa Cantiller, administrative and research support, Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation; Mary Akuamoah-Boateng, coordinator, student placement, Academic Education; and Paula Ferreira, conference coordinator, Academic Education, were in attendance. 5

6 When Harriet Rice saw a large black and white photo of an old house on Cecil Street that s currently on display in the corridor near the Bathurst entrance, it brought back childhood memories of visiting her grandmother Feige Bornstein. Rice s grandmother moved there in the 1950s when it was part of the Jewish Old Folks Home. She was poor and living with a niece when she fell off a ladder, says Rice. My my mother was concerned about her care and felt that Baycrest would provide a safer environment. Rice and her family have been connected to Baycrest ever since her grandmother lived at Cecil Street. Her parents volunteered at Baycrest and Rice herself worked here in the executive offices in the 1980s. Today, Rice is here frequently, visiting her mother, who lives in the Apotex Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged. The photo of the original location of the Jewish Old Folks Home that brought back memories for Rice is just one part of an exhibit called Baycrest s May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 Permanent gallery to showcase Community Day Centres client artwork The Community Day Centre for Seniors debuted its new, permanent Art Gallery space on April 15 with its first installation, Intergenerational Perceptions, a mask making project that paired seniors with students from Westmount Collegiate Institute to design masks that represent a client s inner self and the outward self that others see. I m happy that the artwork we made expresses my heritage and who I am, and can find a home in this gallery, says Teresa Sabatini (left), a member of the Freeman Family Day Centre where Andrea Savoie (right) is a creative arts specialist. Created in partnership between the Community Day Centre for Seniors and Culture, Arts and Innovation, the gallery is located across from the Morris and Sally Justein Heritage Museum and will display the creative works of members of the Freeman Family Day Centre and the Samuel Lunenfeld-Mountainview Club. Exhibitions will rotate every two months. Jewish heritage month exhibit evokes memories of Cecil Street legacy: a look back at Cecil Street. I think it s wonderful, Rice says of the exhibit, which also includes other photos and artifacts that are part of the story of how Baycrest started out as the Jewish Old Folks Home in 1918 and grew into a world leader in care of the elderly, cognitive neuroscience and education. Baycrest s legacy is just one of several exhibits on display for Jewish Heritage Month. It will be on view near the Bathurst entrance until June 8. For more information about all of the Jewish Heritage Month activities and exhibits at Baycrest, visit This photo of the original location of the Jewish Old Folks Home is now on display as part of the Baycrest s legacy exhibit for Jewish Heritage Month. 6

7 May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 First annual Baycrest staff and volunteer campaign kicks off with a carnival The May 7 I love Baycrest campaign kick-off carnival proved a huge success with a great turnout of staff and volunteers enjoying carnival games, prizes, cotton candy, snow cones and a mechanical bull. It s just two weeks into the campaign and there is still time to get involved. Staff and volunteers can participate in the following ways: through payroll contribution or monthly donations, fundraising with your family and friends, or hosting an event in the hospital. All staff and volunteers are invited to the I love Baycrest BBQ in the Spiro Garden on May 30, from noon to p.m. For more details on events, to sign up or to participate, visit baycrest.org/ilovebaycrest, or contact Laura Dinnarr at ext. 515 or ilovebaycrest@baycrest.org. A brave staff member takes on the mechanical bull while colleagues cheer her on. Volunteer Appreciation Week Volunteers the heart of Baycrest s team Baycrest is celebrating its volunteers this year from June 3 to 6 with a number of events and information sessions. Learn more about volunteers at Baycrest Stop by the Volunteer Appreciation Week table in front of the cafeteria June 3 and 6 to catch a slideshow of volunteers in action, pick up brochures of volunteer programs and find out how you can become a Baycrest volunteer. Join us for special presentations Monday, June 3 Maintaining cognitive function with age Rotman Research scientists Dr. Alice Kim and Dr. Liesel-Ann Meusel lead an interactive discussion and answer your questions Loftus Hall, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 4 to 6 Inspirational testimonials with staff and volunteers Baycrest volunteers partner with staff to share what it means to be a part of the Baycrest team Winter Garden, 10:30 a.m. to noon 7

8 May th, 013 VOL. 9 NO. 11 Staff announcements Congratulations to Dr. Gary Naglie, chief of medicine, who was recently promoted to professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. All staff, clients, families and volunteers are invited to attend The Celebration of Life Memorial Service Thursday, June 6 to 3:15 p.m. Wortsman Hall Officiated by Rabbis Berlat and Haber with senior social worker Kris Kirsch-Stivrins, this bi-annual memorial service will honour Baycrest hospital inpatients, and Apotex Centre and Terraces of Baycrest clients who passed away during the period of August 9, 01 to February 8, 013. Joanne Ingell, therapeutic recreationist, Palliative Care, will serve as guest speaker. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Kris Kirsch- Stivrins at ext. 36 or at kstivrins@baycrest.org. This program is supported by the Joseph and Sally Switzer Endowment Fund. Two minutes tells us how we re doing The May Two-Minute Opinion Panel is now open for your thoughts. This quick survey is designed to gather your feedback on Baycrest s reputation and the effectiveness of our communications. This month, share your thoughts on Bill s Journal and social media. Visit the intranet to link to the online survey, or pick up a paper version form any Speak Your Mind Box, or by calling ext You re invited to the Occupational Health and Safety Open House The Occupational Health and Safety department has recently undergone a renovation that included the creation of three offices, a new reception area and a student work space. All staff are invited to drop in on May 9 to check out the new upgrades. This is also a great opportunity to get a refresher on the services offered by OHS and meet the OHS team, including the physician, physiotherapist, administrator and registered nurses. Drop by any time between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for coffee, tea and cookies. Enter to win a $10 voucher for Tov-Li, plus pick up a free lollipop and hand sanitizer. 8