Centre of Excellence for Health

Overview

New Brunswick has the highest senior population in the country. It is important for students to be aware of the different age groups and demographics in our communities. Through this activity, students will be introduced to Long Term Care (LTC) facilities in their communities and explore career opportunities included in LTC Homes. They will also discuss how they can contribute to the positive well-being of their communities through working directly or indirectly with residents in LTC homes.

NB Curricular Connections

Curriculum Connection:

Personal Wellness 6-8

Strand: Career Connected Learning – Big Idea: Explore Potential Career Pathways – Skill Descriptor: Critically investigate and describe the labor market and preferred career pathways

Strand: Relationships – Big Idea: Healthy Relationships – Skill Descriptor:

Grade 6: Discuss characteristics of healthy relationships.
Grade 7: Describe characteristics to build and maintain healthy relationships.
Grade 8: Apply strategies to build and maintain healthy relationships.

Personal Wellness 9

Strand: Career Connected Learning – Big Idea: Explore Potential Career Pathways – Skill Descriptor: Critically investigate and describe the labor market and preferred career pathways.

Strand: Relationships – Big Idea: Healthy Relationships – Skill Descriptor: Evaluate the influence of respect, empathy, power, and coercion on establishing and maintaining respectful relationships, including sexual relationships.

Instructions

Begin with a discussion.

Where can seniors/elders live when they need support or assistance with their daily activities?
Are there long-term care homes or assistive living facilities near your school or in your community?
Has anyone ever visited a long-term care facility or nursing home?
Who works at a long-term care home?
Does anyone know someone who has worked in a LTC home?

Watch the ‘Virtual Tour of a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home – Explore Careers in LTC’ video under the ‘Speaker Series’ tab on the COE Health website.

Visit a long-term care home in your community!! – Reach out to COE Health lead, Daneen Dymond at daneen.dymond@gnb.ca if you would like to discuss and plan an LTC facility tour and visit with seniors in your community.

During the visit, encourage students to take note of the facilities, amenities, employees working at the home, activities the residents are exposed to and anything else that sparks their interest.

Design your own long-term care home. Students can include building design, number of rooms, landscaping and any other facilities or clubs they think should be included in the LTC home (e.g., spa, dance studio, fishing ponds, book club, etc.).

Design can be a diorama, a drawing, blueprint style or even placed in Minecraft.

Allow students to share their designs and explain why they decided to include the facilities or clubs in their LTC home design.

Extension/Optional: For higher grade levels, students can also reach out to their co-op coordinators or school counselors for internship opportunities at a long-term care home in their area.