Niagara College Canada has added Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) dementia care education to its curriculum for students pursuing Practical Nursing and Community Mental Health programs, the Advanced Gerontological Education (AGE) Inc. announced.
The college has been offering GPA to students since 2012, with it being a part of its curriculum for the Personal Support Worker (PSW) program and the Gerontology graduate certification program.
Key Takeaways:
- Niagara College Canada has been offering GPA dementia care education to students since 2012.
- The college has decided to include GPA dementia care education in its Practical Nursing and Community Mental Health programs.
- Niagara College’s inclusion of the GPA dementia care education was announced by Advanced Gerontological Education (AGE) Inc.
Niagara College’s move to add GPA dementia care education to another two of its health-related programs shows its commitment to serve the mental, psychosocial, and emotional health needs of more people.
The GPA in-person classroom format, GPA Basics, was already part of the curriculum in the college’s PSW and Gerontology grad certification programs. However, it transitioned to GPA eLearning (online learning) to respond to the pandemic.
According to Angela Butt (MN, RN), Associate Dean of the School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies, their person-centered approach of providing care with dignity and compassion is intrinsic to GPA. It is one way they facilitate students in developing these skills.
AGE Inc., a national not-for-profit social enterprise that announced the inclusion of GPA in Niagara College’s other programs, is a leader in developing and delivering dementia care education. It offers a practical, evidence-informed Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) curriculum for students. Through the curriculum, more than 500,000 Canadian care providers have developed the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to work with older Canadians living with dementia.
Abcodo is an MSM company that serves as the in-house recruitment partner of MSM Unify, a student recruitment and marketing platform that connects partner schools to top-tier agents and their students worldwide. Sign up now to get the latest updates and information on international student recruitment.
