Long Term Health Care - Applied Research Practicum

The Guru Nanak Intercultural Care Society is a non-profit organization working to develop a culturally responsive long-term care facility for seniors in the Fraser Valley. The Society was formed in response to the growing need for long-term care services that recognizes the linguistic, cultural spiritual, dietary and social needs.

The Society has acquired property for the future development of a long-term care facility and is currently in the early planning stages, including stakeholder engagement, community consultation, and securing seed funding. We are working with healthcare leaders, community organizations, and government stakeholders to better understand the impact of culturally concordant care on health outcomes and quality of life in long-term care settings.

This practicum opportunity will examine the relationship between cultural engagement, social connection, and health outcomes in long-term care facilities. The student will assist with gathering organizing, analyzing, and presenting publicly available data and information from Canadian healthcare organizations and health authorities.

You will:

• Review publicly available data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Stats Canada, Fraser Health, and other relevant sources.

• Conduct lit review

• Assist with identifying measures of resident social engagement, quality of life, and culturally responsive care in long-term care settings.

• Compare available data across regions

• Organize and summarize findings for presentation

• Assist with creating infographics, dashboards, data visualizations, and presentation materials.

• Attend board/stakeholder meetings on occasion

CANDIDATE: This is suitable for a student in the final year of their degree program, who is able to work independently and who has strong writing, reading, and qualitative research skills. If you are passionate about data-driven research and statistical analysis, and are interested in a career in health care/public health, aging populations, health equity, graduate studies etc., this might the practicum for you!