What are Theme Teams?
NICE operates through “Theme Teams” in eleven areas of care – Age-Friendly, Caregiving, Dementia Care, Dental Care, Elder Abuse, End-of-Life Issues, Ethnicity & Aging, Financial Literacy, Law & Aging, Mental Health, and Technology & Aging. These Theme Teams are made up of researchers, practitioners, and students from diverse disciplines and professions, and the team members work together to translate evidence-based research into interdisciplinary and easy-to-use tools.
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All NICE members are welcome to join our Theme Teams! To become a NICE member, email us at nicenetadmin@utoronto.ca.
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To join a Theme Team, please contact the chair of the team that interests you.
Caregiving
Chair: Adriana Schnall
The Caregiving Theme Team works to develop tools aimed at health care practitioners who provide care to seniors, as well as other "informal" carers, such as the family and friends of older adults. This Team has developed two tools so far: the "Caring Calendar" and the "Respect All" poster.
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Caregiving Blog:
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The Caregiving Theme Team group has developed a blog to communicate regularly with regard to our activities. The first blog includes a history of our theme group. In addition we have listed projects planned for 2010-2011. The blog is interactive so we welcome your comments.
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Click here to access the blog.
Dental Care
Chair: Dr. Natalie Archer
Did you know that as we age our dental health becomes even more important and yet many older adults suffer terrible abuse and neglect related to oral hygiene?
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Poor or neglected oral health can be a form of elder abuse and it is a serious issue. Dental elder abuse can cause pain, suffering and illness for the older person. It can even lead to cases of preventable death.
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The Dental Elder Abuse Response (D.E.A.R) Project is working to help address the issue of neglected dental care. Click here to learn more.
Disability and Aging
Chair: Jason Ferreirinha
The Disability and Aging Theme Team takes an interdisciplinary approach to the intersections of Disability and aging that is informed by various academic fields including law, anthropology, health studies, history, geography, economics, education, labour studies, political science, social work, sociology, identity politics, and gender studies.
Human rights theories form the basis for our understandings of how existing legal, economic and social frameworks for inclusion relate to, and co-develop systemic barriers and oppression. </p>
We encourage professionals and students from a variety of backgrounds, including persons with disabilities who have an expressed interest in furthering the equity, inclusion and rights of all people to submit a request for membership.
Age-Friendly
Chair: TBA
TBA
Ethnicity and Aging
Co-Chairs: Karen Kobayashi, University of Victoria & Daniel W.L. Lai, University of Calgary
TBA
Law & Aging
Chair: Laura Tamblyn Watts
The Law and Aging Theme Team is working on tools to help support health care practitioners and families with legal issues.
Currently, they are developing consent and capacity tools for British Columbia and other provinces.
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If you are interested in viewing the report released July 11 by the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) please go to Framework for the Law as it Affects Older Adults.
Dementia Care
Co-Chairs: Dr. Tricia Woo, McMaster University & Dr. Kathleen Cruttenden, University of New Brunswick
The Dementia Care Theme Team is working on a screening tool for dementia.
Elder Abuse
Co-Chairs: Dr. Ariela Lowenstein, University of Haifa & Dr. Barry Goldlist, University of Toronto
The Elder Abuse Theme Team is working on numerous tools around the detection and prevention of elder abuse on an international scale.
End-of-Life Issues
Chair: Christopher Klinger, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Ottawa
The End-of-Life Issues Theme Team is working on tools to help support health care practitioners and family and friends in the care of a dying person. They have developed the "Capacity and Consent (Ontario)" tool, as well as the "PAT - Pain Assessment Tool" and the "What to Expect when Someone Close to You is Dying" informational brochure. Click here to download the brochure.
Technology and Aging
Chair: TBA
TBA
Financial Literacy
Chair: Laurie Campbell
The Financial Literacy Theme Team developed eight financial literacy pocket tools in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec to improve the financial literacy of older low-income Canadian women by helping them:
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to create a personalized financial plan;
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to understand retirement and savings options;
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to understand income tax;
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to adopt effective banking practices;
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to understand credit and debt management;
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to optimize pensions and public benefits;
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attorney; andto understand the legal dimensions of financial literacy, such as the power of
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to prevent and intervene in situations of financial abuse
Elder Abuse
Co-Chairs: Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson, University of Toronto & Simone Powell, Public Health Agency of Canada
The Mental Health Theme Team is developing a tool around the diagnosis and treatment of depression among seniors, based on the guidelines of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health. They are also developing a tool aimed at seniors with depression, to help those seniors better understand their depression and its treatment.