Shannex and UNB partner for aging research and nursing education
Author: UNB Newsroom
Posted on May 29, 2024
Category: Press Releases
Shannex RLC Ltd. and the University of New Brunswick (UNB) have signed a $1 million partnership agreement to expand education and research in the field of life transitions and older adult care. The agreement was announced jointly by Shannex and UNB at Shannex's Halifax headquarters today.
Half of Shannex’s strategic investment – $500,000 – will be used to establish the Shannex Research Chair in Aging Transitions as part of UNB’s Integrated Health Initiative (IHI).
A further $100,000 will be dedicated to the construction of a Shannex Aging Transitions Lab in the soon to be completed Health and Social Innovation Centre (HSIC) on UNB’s Saint John campus to support the work of the chair and the interdisciplinary research team the chair will lead.
The strategic location of the chair and lab within the IHI’s HSIC building is ideal as it is the point of intersection between Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick’s physician training program; New Brunswick Community College’s Allied Health program; UNB’s Bachelor of Health program; Horizon Health Network’s flagship Saint John Regional Hospital; St. Joseph’s Hospital, New Brunswick’s leading centre for geriatric medicine; and the Shannex campuses in Millidgeville and Quispamsis.
Shannex will provide $400,000 to UNB’s Faculty of Nursing in Fredericton to support the development of a Shannex Long-Term Care Summer Institute and a new Care of the Older Adult certificate program.
Jason Shannon, President of Shannex, said “This partnership addresses the fact that Canadians are living longer and most of us will undergo multiple transitions in the later half of our lives. A person’s journey may include transitions from home to community-based services, into and out of acute care, and back to home- or community-based services.”
“With older adults representing a sizeable proportion of Atlantic Canada’s population, communities across the region need a modernized approach to helping individuals and families navigate the ageing process – an approach that is capable of informing and proposing new ways of improving quality of life across the continuum of aging. We believe this partnership with UNB can help us develop such an approach,” Shannon said.
The Shannex Research Chair in Aging Transitions and the Aging Transitions Lab will research, conceptualize and publicize best practices, innovative methodologies and the impact of transitions in aging through a variety of lenses, with an aim to improve the level of care and patient experience. The chair’s focus on wellness and conditions at the community level that support wellness throughout the aging process will create new avenues for partnership with public, private, and community stakeholders.
The Shannex Long-Term Care Summer Institute and a new Care of the Older Adult certificate program with help engage nursing students, enabling them to establish early-career trajectories in multi-disciplinary, technology assisted care for older adults in a variety of settings.
Dr.Paul Mazerolle, UNB’s president and vice-chancellor, said “This generous investment affirms Shannex’s position as the industry leader in forward-facing elder care in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada.”
“By combining the strengths of UNB and Shannex, we can address the challenge of providing effective and sustainable care options for older adults during times of transition, and to better coordinate care among different agencies and caregivers. The potential for cross-institutional appointments will help us attract a talented researcher who wants to lead change,” Dr. Mazerolle said.
About Shannex Incorporated
Shannex Incorporated has been in business since 1988 and is a leader in seniors’ accommodation, service and care – providing home care, retirement living, assisted living, memory care and nursing-home care in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario.
Media contact: Kathleen McLaughlin, Media Relations Strategist at talktous@unb.ca.
Photo caption: Back row, L-R: Jason Shannon, president, Shannex Incorporated; Jeff Wright, executive director, Development & Donor Relations; Alisha Keough, teaching professor, UNB faculty of nursing; Dr. Paul Mazerolle, president & vice-chancellor; Joseph Shannon, founder, Shannex Incorporated; Front row, L-R: Pam Durepos, assistant professor, UNB faculty of nursing; Lorna Butler, dean, UNB faculty of nursing.
Photo credit: Shannex