18 days and counting until our 37th BCCPA Annual Conference hits Whistler Village. This year’s conference is more than 95% sold, and we encourage delegates to register quickly before it is completely sold out!
The stage is set this year to host well over 350 service-providers, commercial delegates, industry professionals, government officials, and health authorities in what will be the largest industry event of the year! Delegates will gather for more than 20 informative and thought-provoking sessions, each designed to meet the unique professional development needs of continuing care professionals and service providers. Read on for a sneak peak into one of this year’s most highly anticipated sessions, “RC Innovation Centre for Healthy Aging”. Join Rowena Rizzotti, VP Operations with Retirement Concepts, as she explains how to push the envelope on technology and innovation across the continuum of care.
RC Innovation Centre for Healthy Aging
“A departure from conventional models, the Retirement Concepts Innovation Centre (RCIC) for Healthy Aging will consolidate key stakeholders into a collaborative path of discovery”
Currently, both the public and private sector seniors care and service providers are facing extraordinary challenges in provision of optimal care in a sustainable and cost effective way. As a result, it is imperative to find innovative ways to be most efficient and effective while evolving care towards self-guidance. Seniors want control and autonomy and what better way to bring them into the process of research and innovation around seniors care.
Through partnerships and collaboration with clinicians and researchers, RC is providing a unique opportunity to bring seniors, families and stakeholders together to form a team and environment to innovate, collaborate and expedite improvements to enhance the quality of care and services towards Healthy Aging across British Columbia.
Seniors housing and residential care facilities that embrace innovation can improve quality of care, decrease inefficiencies and increase family engagement. It’s time to push the envelope on technology and innovation across the continuum of care in order to create safe, stimulating environments that are advanced and collaborative in a departure from conventional research related pathways.
Areas of focus will include, but are not limited to the following:
Innovation in Technologies – mobility and care related technologies in seniors care. Examples include – airbags for wheel chairs, home based portable lifts, adjustable stairs.
Discovery through research in Seniors Care – To develop and sustain improved care needs for seniors, with a particular interest in unique and specialty populations, such as mild cognitively impaired. For example, neurological devices to enable assessment and monitoring of pharmaceutical effects on dementia clients or home-based strategies for socialization.
Features include:
- Engage with aging adults and families, clinicians and researchers around opportunities that will improve quality of care through offering leading-edge and efficient services for our populations.
- Create an environment that allows all users and stakeholders
- Collaborate and participate in the learning and discovery process as it evolves, including care providers, seniors and families.
- Expedite the development and commercialization of findings that will influence future of care and service for aging adults.
- Serve as a “Centre” for a number of Learning Institutions and Academics to bring opportunities for collaboration from multi-disciplinary partners, including government, industry and not-for-profit organizations.
- Provide a non-conventional approach that accelerates research and development of new products and services by implementing an ‘engaged and influential participant’ concept across RC-Owned properties.
Examples of the research under way will be highlighted including initial findings (Falls Prevention, Mild Cognitive Impairment Sensor Tracking, technology enabled independence, Brain Scanners, ROBOT technology ,etc)
Rowena Rizzotti, VP Operations, Retirement Concepts
Rowena has been a highly successful health care leader for more than 25 years, in large organizations across both the private and public sectors. She has significant senior-level experience in multi-site, complex business environments and has a very strong understanding of clinical operations. She recently joined RC in June 2013 following a role with Fraser Health Authority as Executive Director – Clinical Programs & Operations, a role she held since 2008 and previous to that she was a Chief Operating Officer for Northern Health Authority.
Rowena has an MBA and a Masters in Management, as well as an undergraduate degree (Psychology) and an Associate Science degree. She also holds a Practical Nurse Diploma. She was also the author of the Research and Innovation Strategy of 2013 for Fraser Health and was a founding member of Surrey’s INNOVATION Boulevard, centered around collaboration and partnership to bring science and research into clinical practice.
http://www.retirementconcepts.com/about/profile/rowena-rizzotti/
With the conference filling up, sessions are selling out, and the hotel spaces are limited, what are you waiting for? Check out the conference website for more information, but most importantly – register now before it’s too late!
