Five research chairs dedicated to enhancing the health and care of seniors are being established at the University of Waterloo and Kitchener’s Conestoga College, thanks for a $4-million donation from former UW professor Ronald Schlegel.
This adds to an initial $2-million donation Schlegel made to found the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA).
"I am pleased to provide funding to promote research in aging that will improve the quality of life and quality of care for our seniors," Schlegel says. "Research and innovation lead the way in advancing other areas in society and we must invest with equal of higher priority in our seniors. They are the ones who have built our communities… and we owe it to them to maximize their life enjoyment at this time in their lives."
Four research chairs at UW will focus on neuroscience (functional abilities), dementia, optimal medication and geriatric medicine. One of those has been filled already by Dr. Safa Elgamal, an Egyptian physician who will be looking at the impact of physical activity in slowing the progression of Alzheimer disease in the early stages.
The chair at Conestoga College, to improve the care of seniors in the local community, will focus on developing innovative education programs for health-care and community-service workers. The chair will oversee curriculum design and the enhancement of seniors-care content in all health-related disciplines at the college as well as the development of training programs for professionals already working in the field.
"We need a workforce with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the needs of an aging population that is growing rapidly," says college president John Tibbitts.