The Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging's Aging Matters newsletter features University of Calgary aging-related research, education, and community initiatives. We hope you find this newsletter informative and engaging. | |
Strengthening Compassion in Healthcare: A Research-Based Training Program to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Provider Burnout
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Compassion is essential to high-quality healthcare, yet many providers struggle to sustain it amid growing workloads, emotional demands, and organizational pressures. Dr. Shane Sinclair and his research team have spent more than a decade examining compassion from the perspectives of patients, clinicians, and health system leaders. Their work led to the development of the EnACT Compassion Training Program, a validated, evidence-based approach now being adopted across care settings in Canada.
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Key findings:
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Clear evidence base: Studies across acute care and long-term care settings identified specific behaviours, relational skills, and organizational enablers that reliably shape patient experiences of compassion.
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Benefits for providers: EnACT has been shown to increase compassion competence, reduce burnout, and strengthen clinicians’ confidence in addressing suffering and providing compassion.
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Benefits for patients: Patients cared for by EnACT-trained providers report higher ratings of compassion, improved communication, and stronger therapeutic relationships.
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The EnACT program is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. It can be completed online or in-person. It integrates theory, clinical practice, experiential learning, and self-care strategies. Participants earn CME/CPD credits, receive a comprehensive workbook, and achieve recognition as Certified Compassionate Care Providers.
This work is helping healthcare organizations build cultures where compassion can flourish, enhancing patient experience and supporting the wellbeing of the workforce. To learn more follow the link below!
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November 16, 2025
Why aging shouldn’t be classified as a disease
Read Here
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November 13, 2025
UCalgary researcher named new Cross Canada Chair in Compassionate Care
Read Here
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October 11, 2025
The Spotlight Hour: Smart Aging
Listen Here
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September 17, 2025
UCalgary researchers show brain shunts significantly benefit older adults with hydrocephalus
Read More
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September 10, 2025
UCalgary delivers on age-friendly university promise
Read More
| | Research Participation Opportunities | | |
Understanding how toxic leadership impacts burnout across generations
Learn More
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Brain imaging to investigate chronic pain in knee osteoarthritis
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Exploring menopause, aging, and physiological outcomes in women with intellectual and/or neurodevelopmental disabilities
Learn More
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Mobility for life
Learn More
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Using mobile technology to inform driving decision-making in dementia
Learn More
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Assessment of sexual arousal in cisgender women
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Caregiver advocacy for behaviours of concern in clinical settings
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Caregiver experiences and impact of social cognition difficulties in persons living with dementia
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| | Visit the UCalgary database for more research participation opportunities: | | | |
Alzheimer Calgary
Talking about dementia - What's new and what's next
January 31, 2026 - 10:00 AM | Calgary, AB
Learn More
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3 generations of Indigenous women talk about their love of drumming
November 23, 2025
Read More
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It used to be taboo for a woman to share her age, but is it still?
November 4, 2025
Listen Here
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'This is my happy place': Older adults' growing role in the workplace
October 28, 2025
Read More
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Older adults can bounce back to thriving health, CLSA study finds
October 6, 2025
Read More
| | Calgary Emergency Management Agency Community Survey | | The Calgary Emergency Management Agency is interested in understanding how older adults, people with disabilities, newcomers, racialized community members, and urban Indigenous community members access and act on information related to disasters and hazards in Calgary. | | | |
Your feedback will help improve Ready Calgary, the city's emergency preparedness program to better support those most vulnerable to disaster risks.
Survey closes December 31, 2025.
| | Ageism Awareness and Education Module & Toolkit | The Canadian Coalition Against Ageism recently released an educational module on ageism and an action-oriented toolkit designed to address unconscious bias and encourage reflection, dialogue, and positive change. | | Got a friend or colleague you think might be interested in our newsletter? Share this link! | | | |
The Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging is an interdisciplinary, cross-faculty hub at the University of Calgary, with a mission to foster innovations that improve the health and well-being of older adults by catalyzing connections and collaborations through research and education. Our vision is to achieve optimal health and well-being for older adults.
The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation within Alberta (Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6).
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