Pam Hamilton, BA.H (Psychology)
Pieces Canada Director
I feel privileged to have worked for over four decades in shared support of older adults at risk or living with complexity, including 37 years within seniors mental health. As a clinical and education resource with experience in leadership, learning and development and collaborative practice, I am committed to supporting Person and Care Partner centred care through capacity enhancement and the mobilization of new skills and knowledge into day-to-day practice.
I was fortunate to become involved in the PIECES journey in1998, and what an exciting journey it has been. As a longstanding member of the Pieces Canada Consult Group, I am honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development, implementation, sustainability and spread of the PIECES approach across the continuum of care. What I have learned from Persons and Care Partners with Lived Experience, from knowledgeable, passionate, dedicated PIECES Learners, Educators and Practitioners is immeasurable. What I have yet to learn is limitless. What inspires me every day are the possibilities we can achieve through collaborative, relationship-focused Teamwork, wherever the Person and Care Partner are being supported along their health care journey. Along with countless others, I share the hope of an integrated approach to system-wide collaboration.
Joanne Collins
Pieces Canada Director
Maureen O’Connell, B.H.SC.(PT)
PIECES Canada Associate
I am a (mostly) retired Physiotherapist and have spent the majority of my career in support of older adults and their care teams. I’ve been honoured to be a part of the delivery of the PIECES program since 1998, to have been able to practice PIECES through these many years and to support Learners as they incorporated PIECES into their practice.
In my experience I have witnessed the great power that is harnessed when team work is at play. Perhaps a snow storm limits staff getting to work in a LTC Home……yet people’s needs are met by those able to be present leaving all with a great feeling of satisfaction. Or a multidisciplinary team where all share their expertise to build support for a Person but also continue to learn each day from others. Or, unfortunately, when stresses and strains take their toll on care providers yet a Team member’s validation of their contribution can ease that strain in the moment.
Through my career I have witnessed the growing need and support for the power of the voice of the Person and Care Partner to be central to Team practice. The PIECES Program facilitates this in a very practical way, enabling practitioners, systems and Teams to truly live Person-Centred Care, an exciting and essential development in support of older adults.
I continue to learn and grow through my association with Pieces Canada and am very excited to act as a Pieces Canada Associate.
Cathy Sturdy Smith, B.A (Hons), MSc Applied (Gerontology)
Pieces Canada Associate
Very early on in my career, the husband of a woman attending the Alzheimer Day Program I was in a leadership position with, requested a meeting to learn more about the Day Program. What began as a question about the philosophy of care, became an hour and a half of vibrant conversation about person-centred care and the ways in which the Program demonstrated this approach. The outcome of that conversation was the formation of a Family Advisory Group for the Program and a collaborative partnership which in acting together, improved the quality of the Program and clinical practice of staff.
I have often thought back to that conversation with gratitude in the over 35 years of leadership positions I have held in a variety of settings including Long Term Care, Community Care and Seniors Mental Health and Addictions. When I became involved with the PIECES Learning and Development Program in 2001 as an Educator, I could not have foreseen the reach this Program would have in engaging with and validating lived experience, strengthening collaborative partnerships across all Team members no matter the sector in which they work, and enhancing supportive care for older adults living with complexity. We continue to learn and grow as a Pieces Canada Team with the Virtual delivery option and the roll out nationally and I am so honoured to still be a part of this journey.
Pat Hodgson
Val Macpherson