St. Joseph\u2019s Health System has opened one of Ontario\u2019s first Indigenous living classrooms at a long-term care centre in Brantford, Ont.<\/p>\n
The aim of the classroom is to create \u201cnew opportunities for students to learn culturally safe, person-centred care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curriculum in the classroom is grounded in Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe teachings. Officials from the project say the classroom focuses on providing care with humility and transparency from a culturally-informed perspective.<\/p>\n
Through this method of learning, students are supposed to gain an understanding of the experiences and history that inform the people they support.<\/p>\n
St. Joe\u2019s says the new living classroom was created through a partnership with Six Nations Polytechnic.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Six Nations Polytechnic, Indigenous ways of knowing and being inform how we approach education, and St. Joseph\u2019s Health System has created an environment where our learners can experience those values through meaningful relationships with residents, healthcare professionals and the broader care team,\u201d said Dr. Rick Anderson, interim president and CEO at Six Nations Polytechnic.<\/p>\n
The Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging led the project with funding from the Ontario government.<\/p>\n