Class is back in session at the Village of Riverside Glen.
Schlegel Villages and Conestoga College officials celebrated the grand reopening of the ‘living classroom’ in the Woodlawn Road community on Dec. 5.
The renewed space integrates education directly into a long-term care home to an effort to support workforce development in senior living. Conestoga students and faculty can engage in a culture of shared learning alongside residents, visitors and staff at Riverside Glen.
“Conestoga is profoundly grateful to Schlegel Villages and the Research Institute for Aging for their vision and continued support of this innovative model of learning. Through the living classroom, our students gain invaluable experiences bridging theory and practice, and learning alongside residents and staff,” said Natalia Ronda, dean of health and life sciences at Conestoga's School of Health & Life Sciences, in a recent news release.
“It gives us great joy to be able to reopen this fantastic space that will continue to serve as a true testament to our collaborative partnership and our shared vision of learning excellence, compassion and community building. We are certain that our living classroom graduates are ready to not only enter practice in long-term care as competent clinical team members, but as future leaders.”
Conestoga College has graduated more than 2,800 personal support workers (PSWs) since 2020.
The living classroom model was first implemented in the province through a partnership with Conestoga, the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging and Schlegel Villages to advance health-care education and to help address the growing need for skilled professionals in the field.
“Collaborations between the private and institutional sectors offer tremendous potential for cities and its residents. The living classroom partnership between Schlegel Villages and Conestoga College means Guelph benefits from having locally trained PSWs that better understand the needs of patients than is otherwise possible with a traditional education model," said Guelph mayor Cam Guthrie.
"I hope this program inspires other local industries to look at what is possible with their own out-of-the-box approaches.”
Riverside Glen opened as the first Living Classroom in 2009. Newly renovated, the refreshed space on the lower level of the Woodlawn Road home offers increased capacity to train Personal Support Workers (PSW).
Conestoga students benefit with the integration of classroom and clinical teaching while in a live long-term care environment.
The learning space includes a bed lab that mimics a care environment. Students learn how to perform skills for the profession such as safe lifts and transfers. A simulation suite equipped with a bed, bathroom and furniture allows students to practice in a realistic residential setting either with trained actors standing in as patients or high-tech mannequins while being supervised from a control room.
“As we celebrate this revitalized space, let’s remember what it symbolizes: a commitment to learning, connection and the future of caregiving. To our partners in education, our team, and our residents and their families, thank you for making this vision a reality,” said Bryce McBain, general manager at The Village of Riverside Glen.
“Together, we are not only transforming how we care for elders, but also shaping a generation of professionals who will carry forward the values of dignity, respect and compassion. The living classroom is more than a concept. It is a legacy of hope and collaboration will leave a lasting impact for years to come.”
