Lunch & Learn supported by Laerdal Medical Canada
Designing technology to improve the lives of older adults: challenges, frontiers and the future
Featuring Dr. Charlene Chu (BSc 2004, BScN 2006, MN 2010, PhD 2015)
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Zoom details will be sent to registrants
The use of revolutionary technologies, including smart phones, easily accessible apps and WIFI have become an ordinary part of our daily lives. Yet for many older adults and their caregivers, technology can be inaccessible and unable to meet their specific needs. Dr. Charlene Chu, a leader in nursing research, investigates issues at the intersection of ageing and technology. She focuses on improving the lives of older adults through her novel program of research, which includes innovation, inclusion and person-centered care.
In this talk, Dr. Chu will discuss her approaches to technology and research, and highlight her ongoing projects, like the MouvMat, an interactive digital gaming surface designed to encourage physical activity, cognitive stimulation and social engagement among older adults in long-term care homes. She will also speak to the ongoing challenges for older adults and their caregivers, looking beyond the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to future opportunities.
Dr. Charlene Chu is an Assistant Professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at KITE Toronto Rehab at the University Health Network. She is also cross-appointed (status only) with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work’s Institute for Life Course & Aging at the University of Toronto
Dr. Chu is a nationally and internationally recognized nurse scientist who has passionately devoted her career to improve the care of the older adult. She is an accomplished researcher who has published in excess of 40 manuscripts, holds two patents, and leads an interdisciplinary team of researchers with more than $1 million in funding including multiple Tri-Council grants. Her clinical practice as a nurse and her graduate studies in long-term care provided her with an in-depth understanding of geriatrics and the practical barriers facing older adults and those who care for them. Dr. Chu has creatively pursued technology as the means to improve quality of care for patients. The quality and rigour of Dr. Chu’s work has been recognized and funded as PI by many prestigious agencies including NFRF, CIHR, SSHRC, and the Alzheimer Society of Canada to demonstrate the wide appeal and significance of her research. She is a passionate and innovative advocate for digital health and the power of technology to transform healthcare and nursing.