On June 25, 2020 well over 850 people from Canada, the U.S., Ecuador and Kenya came together for the 2020 SHS/UHN COVID-19 Special Geriatrics Institute Education Day, which was also our first ever virtual conference. Entitled “A Whole New World…Healthcare Transformation in A Time of Uncertainty: What COVID-19 Now Means for Us” the virtual event, which was likely Canada’s largest ever held geriatrics education conference, included six presentations by healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines related to the care of older adults, as well as virtual community booth presentations from eight community organization partners.
Dr. Barry Goldlist, a Geriatrician at Sinai Health, provided introductory remarks by welcoming attendees from across the world and continuing the tradition of starting the Institute with a case study to frame our learning. This year’s case featured the characters from the beloved tale of Aladdin that were re-imagined as older adults dealing with COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Agrabah. After directing attendees to resources and information on the Sinai Geriatrics website, he introduced myself as the first speaker of the day.
My presentation highlighted the impact COVID-19 has had on older adults in Canada, particularly those living in long term care homes. Canada’s pandemic experience has exposed gaps in our long term care system and highlighted the need for Canada to implement changes to achieve better outcomes going forward. Leslie Coulter, occupational therapist, and Dr. Christa Sinclair Mills, a home-based primary care physician, from SPRINT Senior Care House Calls program were the second presenters for the day. They focused on the important provision of home-based geriatric primary care and ways to deliver safe and appropriate home care during COVID-19 that can include determining who is in need of an in-person homecare visit and making sure all safety precautions are met.
Dr. Irina Nica-Graham, Geriatric Psychiatrist at Sinai Health and Gita Lakhanpal, Occupational Therapist and Registered Psychotherapist at the Reitman Centre at Sinai Health, presented on supporting the mental health needs of care providers and caregivers during COVID-19. They discussed coping with COVID-19 related stress, mental health consequences among health care providers and provided a variety of resources for participants to improve mental health. Raeann Rideout, Director of Provincial Partnerships and Outreach at Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario presented on addressing and preventing elder abuse during a pandemic. COVID-19 has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of older adults, putting them at increased risk for abuse. With limited supports, monitoring of care or reporting of abuse, the pandemic has impacted older adults living in the community as well as in long term care or retirement homes.
The lunch break included virtual community both presentations from Mosaic Home Care, Phillips Lifeline, VHA Home Healthcare, Home Instead Senior Care, Canadian Hearing Services, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario, Reitman Centre and Alzheimer Society Toronto. Each organization had five minutes to give attendees, many of them allied health professionals, a quick overview of the products and services they provide.
Dr. Nathan Stall, Geriatrician at Sinai Health, brought everyone back from lunch with a presentation focused on COVID-19 in long term care homes. He outlined some atypical symptoms of COVID-19 found in older adults living in long term care homes, including unexplained fatigue, delirium, chills and headaches. Kevin Rodrigues, a Bioethicist at UHN, ended the day with his presentation on providing humane and ethical care in the midst of a pandemic. Kevin discussed the care and ethical dilemmas that COVID-19 has presented in hospitals, as well as how to approach challenges faced by people experiencing homeless, racialized communities and long term care residents.
Missed out on a presentation? Didn’t get a chance to attend? Watch every presentation from the Institute here.
With a lively discussion on social media, insightful question and answer periods and great feedback from attendees, the very first virtual Geriatrics Institute Education Day was a huge success. Kudos to our organizing team, our speakers and sponsors for putting on a great event.
Some helpful resources:
Date modified: 2020-07-20
