Press Release
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
UMoncton team returns from Denmark equipped to make nursing homes safer
Photo: Pia Beck (Occupational Therapist), Julie Weir (NBCCSA Board Chair), Geri Geldart (President and CEO of the York Care Centre), Dr. Michelle Cardoso (Professor/Researcher at UMoncton), Dr. Wayne Albert (Dean/Researcher at UNB), Marjorie Belzile (Registered Nurse at NBCCSA), Justine Henry (Executive Director at CIRA), Rhys Donovan (Marketing Director)
View Full-Size Image
A group of delegates has just returned from Denmark equipped to face the challenges of providing a safer place to work for nursing home employees.
The delegation that included members from the New Brunswick Continuing Care Safety Association (NBCCSA), Faculty of Kinesiology University of New Brunswick (UNB), l’École de kinésiologie et de loisir from the Université de Moncton (UMoncton), Centre for Innovation and Research in Aging (CIRA), York Care Centre (YCC) and the New Brunswick Nursing Home Association (NBANH) returned after a fact-finding mission to Denmark heavily investing in technology and equipment to significantly reduce and/or eliminate musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in the workplace in healthcare.
“We just can’t keep doing the same old thing,” said NBCCSA CEO Denise Paradis. “Clearly from the stats, we are failing miserably at keeping our staff safe.”
Due to injuries, 17,763 full-time equivalent days missed in 2021 in NB nursing homes– (based on WorkSafeNB claims)
In the last two years, the NBCCSA has drastically changed the way it focuses on musculoskeletal injuries. The focus has changed from mitigation through training alone to elimination of risks associated with caring for our most vulnerable citizens with the addition of new technologies and equipment. This led the organization to Denmark and to the team at UNB & Université de Moncton.
“The timing could not have been better,” said Wayne Albert, Dean of Kinesiology at UNB. “Dr. Cardoso and I are in the process of establishing an ergonomic research program focused on healthcare.” Dr. Michelle Cardoso, professor at UMoncton said, “We now need to secure at least 5 years of funding to give this initiative a good start. The research program will encourage collaboration between both universities, private industry, healthcare providers and industry experts in the province of New Brunswick.”
Funding is aimed at establishing two state-of-the-art ergonomic testing labs (one in Fredericton and one in Moncton) as well as the equipment needed for research on the frontlines. Once the labs are funded, the first project in their proposed research will be to test and validate a currently utilized Danish client-handling tool, designed to help reduce the strain on healthcare workers right at the bedside.
The potential impact of this first project should lead to a better work/life balance for staff, increased quality in care for residents and help alleviate current staff shortages.
Return to Press release