May 12, 2015 - 4:00pm
Vancouver Island University (VIU) is seeking public input on programming that would see Oceanside become a leader in gerontology education on Vancouver Island and beyond.
A community consultation meeting about the future direction of VIU’s Centre for Healthy Aging will be held May 21 at 5 pm at the Parksville Civic & Technology Centre on Jensen Avenue. It’s the first of several community meetings on VIU's involvement in the Oceanside region.
“We have an exciting new vision for the Centre for Healthy Aging, which has operated out of VIU’s Parksville Centre since 2013,” says Dr. Carol Stuart, Dean of VIU’s Faculty of Health and Human Services.
“The proposal – still in early development – calls for a self-sustaining, locally managed educational hub within the Centre for Healthy Aging anchored by a new graduate diploma program in gerontology.
“Students from Parksville and Nanaimo would be involved in experiential education and undergraduate research with older adults in the Oceanside community, while existing local health care practitioners would have ongoing access to training and professional development in gerontology and active aging.”
Stuart says the programming for the Centre is far from being finalized, and that VIU hopes to build on the strong connections established over many years with community partners in Oceanside.
“We know that the Parksville/Qualicum community is supportive of VIU’s continued presence in Oceanside,” she says, “and we believe that great opportunities exist for the Centre for Healthy Aging to thrive and serve as an institutional and community asset.”
According to Stuart, area demographics and projected job shortages in nursing and related occupations by 2019 outline a clear opportunity for the presence of a thriving Centre for Healthy Aging in the region.
More than 10 percent of the current population in Oceanside are people over 75. Stuart says the 25-50 age group, the primary market for new educational programming, is growing faster than the Island average.
Stuart recently made presentations about the new vision for VIU’s Centre for Healthy Aging to Parksville and Qualicum councils. She will deliver the same presentation at the May 21 community consultation meeting, and then facilitate a focused public discussion to gather input.
Invitations have been circulated to health care practitioners and other individuals in Oceanside. Any interested adult who wishes to attend may register https://www2.viu.ca/pvpa/reg/register.aspx or email Kelly.Atkins@viu.ca.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Janina Stajic, Manager, Vancouver Island University
P: 250.740.6288 E: Communications@viu.ca Twitter: @viunews
Tags: In the Community
