The PSW Education Fund builds capacity in long-term care (LTC) homes to deliver high-quality and safe care that meets the needs of residents. It provides funding to LTC homes for their team members to participate in skill-building education.
This year, the fund will support tuition and backfill for the delivery of:
- Better Together Dementia Care
- Creating a Culture of Belonging: From Awareness to Action
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) Champion Coaching Program
- LIVING the Dementia Journey (LDJ)
- One Day: Person-Centred Culture, Making a Difference Every Day
- The Virtual Job Shadowing Package for New Hires in LTC
- The Working Mind (TWM) Long-Term Care
The training supports homes in adopting person-centred models of care and developing and fostering a confident and skilled workforce.
Better Together Dementia Care (BTDC) is an in-person workshop, followed by virtual support that aims to enhance understanding of dementia, its impact on individuals and strategies for managing the associated challenges specifically in LTC home settings. This program is led by Plum Tree Memory Care, with support from the Ontario CLRI at the RIA.
Creating a Culture of Belonging: From Awareness to Action (CCB) is a virtual workshop that delves into the key strategies for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in the long-term care (LTC) context. It offers LTC team members the knowledge and tools needed to create a more inclusive and affirming environment for residents, care partners/caregivers and fellow team members. This workshop is led by the Ontario CLRI at Bruyère with support from the Ontario CLRI at the RIA.
EDIB Champion Coaching Program (EDIB) is a new, virtual learning experience designed to help LTC team members and leaders grow their capacity and confidence to lead EDIB initiatives. Open to those who have completed the Creating a Culture of Belonging workshop, this program offers practical tools, peer connection, and expert facilitation to support real-world change. This program is led by the Ontario CLRI at Bruyère with support from the Ontario CLRI at the RIA.
LIVING the Dementia Journey (LDJ) is an evidence-informed training program that increases understanding of dementia and shares strategies to support those living with it. It was created by the RIA’s Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program.
One Day: Person-Centred Culture, Making a Difference Every Day (One Day) is a new virtual training to equip team members to nurture a person-centred care approach in their care provision, with a focus on actionable steps so learners are empowered to start making positive changes immediately. The course was created with individuals living and working in senior living settings and subject matter experts in education, facilitation and culture change. The curriculum is provided and owned by the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA).
The Virtual Job Shadowing Package for New Hires in Long-Term Care (LIPHA) is a meta-simulation software that combines simulation-, case-, team-, and story-based learning where learners use simulation and case-based learning grounded in a serious educational game to practice true-to-life healthcare scenarios, receive instant feedback, and gain confidence in caring for residents and families as part of an interprofessional team. This initiative is led by the Ontario CLRI at Baycrest and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation with support from Launch 57 and the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest.
The Working Mind Long-Term Care (TWM) focuses on providing workers in the healthcare industry with the tools to promote mental health in the workplace while also reducing the stigma of mental illness. The Working Mind (TWM) is part of the Opening Minds initiative, managed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).
The PSW Education Fund for Long-Term Care has been in operation since 2017 and has been used to train more than 23,000 personal support workers and other team members in LTC homes across the province.
Options for Training
LTC homes have training options. Team members can be trained by:
- Facilitators from the RIA (for LDJ, TWM, and One Day).
- Facilitators from Bruyère Health (CCB).
- Facilitators from Plum Tree Memory Care (BTDC).
- Facilitators from the Mental Health Commission of Canada (if needed for TWM Long-Term Care).
- Facilitators from your LTC Home (FOr LDJ if they have successfully completed the LDJ Train-the-Trainer Course).
- Simulated cases and a serious educational game on a virtual platform (for The Virtual Job Shadowing Package for New Hires in LTC).
For additional information, including when courses are offered, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Tuition costs and backfill pay to LTC Homes
Tuition costs are fully funded for the following: Better Together Dementia Care, Creating a Culture of Belonging: From Awareness to Action, EDIB Champion Coaching Program, LIVING the Dementia Journey, One Day: Person-Centred Culture, Making a Difference Every Day, Virtual Job Shadowing Package for New Hires in LTC, and The Working Mind Long-Term Care.
No payment of tuition is required by the LTC home or team member.
What is Backfill Pay?
The PSW Education Fund provides backfill pay to LTC Homes to ensure seamless operational coverage while Team Members attend training. This funding is intended to cover the cost of replacement staff, allowing participating Team Members to complete PSW Fund workshops during their regularly scheduled shifts without any loss of regular wages.
Creating a Culture of Belonging: From Awareness to Action backfill pay
For team members participating in training, the fund will reimburse the LTC home to cover backfill costs ($30 per hour x 4 hours = $120 of backfill per team member).
EDIB Champion Coaching Program backfill pay
For team members participating in the program, the fund will reimburse the LTC home to cover backfill costs ($30 per hour x 14 hours = $420 of backfill per team member).
LDJ backfill pay
For both certified in-house LDJ trainers and team members participating in team member training, the fund will reimburse the LTC home to cover backfill costs ($30 per hour x 8 hours = $240) of backfill per trainer and/or team member).
One Day: Person-Centred Culture, Making a Difference Every Day backfill pay
For team members participating in training, the fund will reimburse the LTC home to cover backfill costs ($30 per hour x 8 hours = $240 of backfill per team member).
Virtual Job Shadowing Package for New Hires in LTC backfill pay
For new and recently hired PSWs and nursing team member training, the fund will reimburse the LTC home to cover backfill costs ($30 per hour x 6.5 hours = $195 of backfill per team member). Backfill support is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
TWM Long-Term Care backfill pay
For leadership and team members participating in training, the fund will reimburse the LTC home to cover backfill costs ($30 per hour x 7 hours = $210 of backfill per leadership and $30 per hour x 5 hours = $150 of backfill per team member).
Tuition and access fees are automatically covered by the fund upon registration of each team member and submission of the Trainer Attendance Tracking form.
The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) strengthen quality of life and care for residents across the province. The Ontario CLRI is mandated by the Ministry of Long-Term Care to be a resource for the sector by providing education and sharing research and innovations to enhance the health and well-being of people who live and work in long-term care.
Acknowledgement
This work is supported in part by funding from the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care hosted at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA). The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Province.