New knowledge gained | “The [course] helped me improve my knowledge regarding the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of Parkinson’s, which has been very helpful for me. I recently saw a patient who was exhibiting signs of PD. I was happy to have a guide to help me through the diagnosis and [provide] suggestions regarding treatment with [carbidopalevodopa] to send to his primary care provider” “Even though I had some knowledge about recognizing early signs of cognitive impairments as I often saw this in my clients in the secondary stroke prevention clinic, I could not really say that I knew how to manage the conditions. I now know how to safely increase the dose and monitor the side effects” |
Improved confidence in the ability to deliver geriatric care | “This course increased my confidence in all aspects of caring for geriatric patients. Through experience and this course, I feel that I can provide excellent care to my geriatric patients. I also feel much more comfortable acting in a consulting-type role with primary care providers in our FHT after attending this course” “Driving capacity in the elder [patients] can be a very complex issue to deal with. While our main goal with respect to the elderly functional capacity is to maintain independence, we cannot allow it [driving] when it poses a threat to others. However, we learned a way to present this to the client in a way that provides them with a choice to retire driving versus being threatened [with] having it revoked” |
Specific changes adopted in practice | “I have certainly made changes in my residents’ blood sugar monitoring and medication to allow more liberal blood sugar values and avoid unrecognized episodes of hypoglycemia. I have shared the goal of blood sugar values with regulated staff in long-term care so they are aware of the rationale and [the] targets to be achieved in the elderly” |
Reinforced positive attitudes toward care of the elderly | “I feel fortunate to have been able to participate, and feel that the experience has stimulated me to continue to learn and grow” “The topics are very relevant. The presenters [were] very skilled, dedicated, and delivered the material in a most thoughtful way” “In a sense, the weekend course was a perfect microcosm of my entire [fellowship] year. If I were to distil from my fellowship the most valuable knowledge gained, skills learned, attitudes adopted, and behaviours practised, I would end up with the weekend course” |