By Nicole Pacampara
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the long-term care sector. With staff shortages across the board, there is an urgent need to increase and train workers to ensure quality of care for the most vulnerable members of our society.
Grounded in a serious and immersive game world, the Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator (LIPHA) is changing the way new hires and students in Ontario’s long-term care (LTC) sector learn and build specialized competencies in LTC.
“We need new approaches to recruitment, skill building, re-skilling, and up-skilling in frontline health care. LIPHA uniquely fills that need, with an innovative, engaging, and cost-effective training approach supporting the next generation of long-term care staff who ensure older Ontarians live their best possible lives,” says Dr. Allison Sekuler, President & Chief Scientist, Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) and Baycrest Academy for Research and Education at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, Rotman Research Institute.
Using a mix of short and full simulations, eLearning, game activities and resources, LIPHA motivates and rewards the learning of foundational knowledge on LTC best practices along with providing a safe space to practice caring for realistic, simulated LTC residents. Learners are scaffolded to higher levels of performance as they master increasingly challenging simulations while receiving instant feedback. As they progress, through the game world on a healer’s journey set in ancient Carthage, LIPHA fosters knowledge, skills, and values essential to supporting safe, person-centred, relational, and team-based care.
LIPHA was developed as a partnership between the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research, and Innovation in Long-Term Care (Ontario CLRI) at Baycrest, George Brown College, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University), and Baycrest, as part of an eCampus Ontario grant. The platform enhances the onboarding and training of frontline workers in the long-term care sector – from personal support workers, nurses, to students considering a career in the field. It’s accessible online anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
“Closing the skills gap in long-term care requires an innovative approach to make progress quickly,” says Dr. David Conn, Executive Vice President, Education, Baycrest Academy. “LIPHA’s applicability with existing and prospective frontline healthcare workers, and its gamified and self-directed approach allows learners to become more engaged with their training, yielding benefits like better retention, which leads to better care.”
LIPHA’s real-life learning scenarios were fine-tuned using input from CABHI’s Leap platform, a virtual community connecting older adults and caregivers with innovators. With the involvement of this community in LIPHA’s development, the platform ensures its design, delivery, and growth are informed by the lived experiences of older adults and caregivers – the ultimate beneficiaries of LTC workforce improvements in recruitment, retention, and professional development.
More than 600 learners across seven LTC homes and three schools completed the program through an investment of $1.2 million by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Administrators praise the platform for its positive impact on the training of new hires, the quality of care provided by learners, student interest in gerontology and aging, and student confidence in providing care for older adults.
“I really enjoyed the platform because it uses a unique approach to learning compared to traditional approaches,” says one LTC Home. “…it will be beneficial for training processes for staff.”
This year through the Government of Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care’s PSW Education Fund, 7,000 free LIPHA seats are rolling out to long-term care homes and post-secondary education institutions across Ontario. This is made possible through a collaboration among CABHI powered by Baycrest, the Ontario CLRI at Baycrest, and the Kunin-Lunenfeld Centre for Applied Research and Evaluation within Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute.
LIPHA is now actively recruiting new organizations interested in using the platform for training. Ontario-based long-term care organizations and educational institutions can access LIPHA at no cost. A variety of learning packages for PSWs and nurses are available, including 14-16 hours (new hires), 20-35 hours (student clinical experiences) and an 8-hour introductory microcredential (new hires and senior students). Technical, implementation, and education support is provided to enrolled organizations to help with the rollout of LIPHA. Additionally, staff backfill funding support is available for long-term care homes.
Looking to sign up your organization or learn more about the platform? Visit LIPHA’s website and get in touch with the LIPHA team.
Nicole Pacampara is a Digital Marketing and Communications Specialist at the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI).
