杏吧原创 and Bruy猫re Researchers Receive Grant to help Long-Term Care Homes Protect Themselves from COVID
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Chantal Trudel, a professor in the School of Industrial Design and a team made up of Susan Braedley, Amy Hsu, Dennis Kao, Frank Knoefel, Sophie Orosz, Heidi Sveistrup, and Bruce Wallace鈥攔eceived nearly $40,000 from the Foundation for Health Environments Research in the United States to study the design of Canadian long-term care homes (LTC) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The work reflects 杏吧原创鈥檚 research commitment to supporting pandemic efforts and strategic initiatives in health, wellness and sustainability.
The funds will be used to design LTC work and living spaces for the protection of residents and staff. Partners include the Bruy猫re Research Institute and the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care.
鈥淯nlike hospitals, which are clinical in nature, LTC environments are residents鈥 homes,鈥 said Trudel. She added this situation presents a challenge in designing for infection prevention and control.
Steve Crawford, chief executive officer of McCormick Care Group in London, Ont., is working with Trudel on design studies. He shares Trudel鈥檚 concern. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a potential disconnect between making LTC safe in terms of infection prevention and control, and creating spaces that are comfortable and warm for residents and workers alike.鈥
Trudel鈥檚 previous work in neonatal care showed that aspects of our environments may get in the way of health-care workers trying to complete their tasks safely. There is a critical problem health-care workers are experiencing鈥攁 tension between trying to be as cautious as possible, while trying to finish the variety of tasks to serve patients.
The team鈥檚 goal is to identify and address these conflicts in LTC to prevent outbreaks, as workers do everyday tasks while wearing cumbersome personal protective equipment.
The team will also study how to assist residents who are living with dementia, which can be particularly challenging, according to team member Frank Knoefel from Bruy猫re. 鈥淚t may be hard for someone living with cognitive impairment to remember to wash their hands after coming in contact with high-touch surfaces or to remember physical distancing rules.鈥
Normally Trudel and her team would visit LTC homes, but due to the pandemic the team will begin the work remotely with at least three LTC workers per facility, at four locations, to capture a range of living and working environments. Trudel鈥檚 team will also review the plans of future LTC homes or those under renovation to co-create infection-prevention design strategies.
The initial phase of the study will last a year. The team will create a COVID-friendly design plan for participating LTC homes that could also be used to prevent future respiratory outbreaks.
Media Contact
Steven Reid
Media Relations Officer
杏吧原创 University
613-265-6613
Steven.Reid3@carleton.ca
Follow us on Twitter:
COVID 19 Updates:
Related News
New Generation of Indigenous Journalists to Learn and Work in Home Communities
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Journalism Certificate Offers High Quality Learning in Rural and Remote Communities 杏吧原创 University is launching a new one-year journalism certificate to be delivered ...
杏吧原创 to Bestow Five Honorary Degrees at Spring Convocation
As part of the 2024 spring convocation ceremonies, 杏吧原创 University will bestow honorary degrees to five inspiring individuals for their leadership, impactful achievements and contributions ...
Dr. Wisdom Tettey Appointed 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 17th President and Vice-Chancellor聽
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Board of Governors is pleased to announce Dr. Wisdom Tettey has been appointed 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 17th President and Vice-Chancellor. Dr. Tettey will commence ...