Northern Health Authority - UNBC
Northern Health is divided into three health service delivery areas (HSDA)
- Northeast
- Northern Interior
- Northwest
Regional Demographics
| Area population | 300,767 |
| Median age : | Not available |
| Proportion of residents 65+ | 7.8% (projected to increase to 11.2% by 2012 |
| by HSDA | Northern Interior: 8.1% Northwest - 7.6% Northeast - 7.4% |
| by age group | 65 plus - 7.8% 80 plus - 1.5% |
| Number of residential care beds | 4,793 |
| Number of acute care sites | 148.1 |
Source: BCMA 2004
News & Events
UNBC Graduate Research on Issues of Health & Aging
View summaries of graduate research work currently underway by students in the Social Work and Geography Programs at UNBC
BCNAR Co-Leader Dawn Hemingway was a winner in two categories of The Northern BC Today's Woman Awards.
The recipients must be a role model for other women and have demonstrated innovation and a commitment to their area of involvement. Ms. Hemingway was presented with the Leader In Knowledge Advancement Award by UNBC, as well as the Forging Our Future with Education Award, sponsored by Sprott-Shaw Community College.
Member Research Areas in the Northern Region include:
- Alzheimer’s
- Cognitive Retraining
- Community and household level responses to population aging
- Culturally appropriate mental health screening tools
- Depression
- First nations
- Gerontological best practices
- Quality of Life
- Seniors Independence
- Social Policy
Current Aging-Related Research Projects
Project: Fort St. John and Area Seniors’ Needs Overview
Investigators: Greg Halseth, Chelan Hoffman, Carla Martin, Neil Hanlon - UNBC
Description: The purpose of this project is to examine housing and support service needs for seniors in the City of Fort St. John, Peace River Regional District Area C, and the District of Taylor (the Study Area). The work will be carried out by a research team from the Community Development Institute at UNBC from May 2006 until December 2006 with the goal to provide community decision-makers with information relevant to local planning and infrastructure investments.
Project: Peace River Regional District Seniors’ Needs Overview
Investigators: Greg Halseth, Chelan Hoffman, Jamie Reschny, Don Manson, Neil Hanlon - UNBC
Description: From August 2006 to April 2007, the Community Development Institute of UNBC will be working with the Peace River Regional District to examine housing and support service needs for seniors in the areas outside of Fort St. John, Electoral Area C, and the District of Taylor. The purpose is to provide community decision-makers with information relevant to local planning and infrastructure investments.
Project: Terrace Seniors Dialogue
Investigators: Greg Halseth, Laura Ryser, Carla Martin, Neil Hanlon - UNBC
Description: Between January and March 2006, the Community Development Institute of UNBC assisted the City of Terrace to examine seniors' issues and needs. This was a scoping project designed to create a foundation of information for a more detailed future study of seniors' issues in the greater Terrace area. The current project involved an analysis of local population trends, interviews with seniors, decision-makers, service providers, and focus groups to explore housing, services, and quality of life topics.
Project: Mackenzie and Area Seniors' Needs Overview
Investigators: Greg Halseth, Neil Hanlon, Rachael Clasby, Virginia Pow – UNBC
Description: The purpose of this project is to examine housing and support service needs for seniors in the District of Mackenzie and surrounding area. The work is being carried out by a research team from UNBC with the goal to provide decision-makers and community groups in Mackenzie and area with information relevant to decision-making over community planning and infrastructure investments. The project involves four investigations: 1) an analysis of local population, 2) an assessment of the housing and services' needs of seniors in small town and rural locations, 3) a collation of views and opinions from seniors and decision-makers in Mackenzie and area, and 4) a survey of local seniors to collect information on needs and expectations.
Project: As We Age, Small Talk Is the Key to Overall Health: Effects of Aging on Arteriole Tone, Reactivity and Blood Flow Control in Skeletal Muscle
Investigator: Dr. Geoffrey Payne, Northern Medical Program, UNBC
Description: As we age our capacity for physical activity is diminished. This age-related response has primarily been attributed to a reduction in both muscle mass (sacropenia) and function. My laboratory is extremely interested in understanding the signaling mechanisms underlying the coordinated vasodilation response and also how the ability of the cells (smooth muscle and endothelium) of these microvessels talk to one another is impaired due to aging. By understanding this “small talk” it will provide information that will help in developing strategies and interventions to combat the deterioration responses commonly associated with aging, and promote the quality of life and reduce health care costs in later life.
Dr. Neil Hanlon, Associate Professor, Geography, University of Northern British Columbia
Project: Establishing a Network of Excellence in Rural and Remote Geriatric Care: Regional Coordination and its Implications for Nursing Practice in Long Term Care Facilities.
Investigators: Neil Hanlon, UNBC (Principal Investigator), Martha MacLeod, UNBC and Tom MacLeod and Val Waymark, Northern Health (Co-Investigators)
Description: This is an exploratory case study whose main goal is to improve our understanding of the impacts and implications of a Network of Excellence model for coordinating geriatric services in rural and remote settings. The research will examine the roles and relationships of the Northern Health Authority, health care facilities, health managers, and professionals and community-based providers in places where the network activities have been implemented.
Dawn Hemingway, Assistant Professor, Social Work, University of Northern British Columbia
Project: Caring for an Institutionalized Spouse with Alzheimer's Disease: An Examination of the Spousal Caregiver's Lived Experience. BC Medical Services Foundation in conjunction with the BC Alzheimer’s Society - 2003- 2006 ($45,000.00)
Investigators: Dawn Hemingway, UNBC (Principal Investigator), and Penny MacCourt, UVIC (Co-Investigator).
Description: This study examines the lived experience of spousal caregivers who provide care to partners with Alzheimer’s disease (or related dementia) who are resident in a care facility in northern BC or on Vancouver Island. Although the literature suggests that spouses of institutionalized partners with dementia may require support, little data is available about effective interventions that support these spouses. Understanding their lived experience, should assist policy makers, institutions, and practitioners to develop more effective ways to support these caregivers, thus improving their health and well-being and that of their loved ones – while at the same time improving the work environment and effectiveness of services provided by care facility staff.
Project: Health and Quality of Life of Older People, A Replication after Six years. SSHRC-funded via $100,000 Gold Medal awarded to Dr. Alex Michalos in 2004.
Investigators: Alex C. Michalos, (Principal Investigator), Dawn Hemingway, Loraine Lavallee, P. Maurine Hatch, Anne Hogan, UNBC, Bev Christensen, Prince George Council of Seniors (Co-investigators)
Description: Partly replicating a survey undertaken during the International Year of the Older Person (September 1999), this study involves a survey of people aged 55 and older (N=750) in the former Northern Interior Health Region of British Columbia (Fall 2005). Replicated aspects include health status measured by the Short Form 36 (SF-36), social support, care-giving, housing, worries and problems, criminal victimization, quality of life measured by standard items including satisfaction with life as a whole, with the overall quality of life, happiness, Contentment with Life, Subjective Well-Being and satisfaction with a wide variety of specific domains of life (e.g., health, family relations, leisure activities).
Project: Closing the Knowledge Care Gap for Seniors and Community Care - a Health Services and Policy Research Support Network (HSPRSN) Investigative Team funded by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
Investigators: Jean Kozak, Providence Health Care & UBC and Nancy Rigg, Vancouver Coastal Health (Co-Principal Investigators); Lynn Beattie – UBC, Neena Chappell – UVIC, Martha Donnelly – UBC, Elaine Gallagher – UVIC, Adrian Levy – Providence Health Centre & UBC, Victoria Scott – BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit & UBC, Dawn Hemingway – UNBC (partial list of investigative team members)
Description: Many seniors lead healthy and active lives. However, a significant number live with multiple chronic health problems requiring a wide range of social and health services across multiple settings including home support, respite care, clinical nursing and rehabilitation services and palliative care. These individuals may experience sudden and substantial changes in their health status, leading to changes equally sudden and substantial changes in service providers and settings of care. The aim of this investigative team is to create a sustained collaboration among decision makers, knowledge brokers and researchers across all five health authorities and the Ministry of Health to support ongoing measurement and evaluation of transitions in health and service delivery within the continuum of home and community care for seniors.
Project: Building a Caring Web: Using ICT to Promote Health for Women Care Providers in Northern/rural/remote Communities. Funded by the BC Rural and Remote Health Research ($5,000).
Investigators: Dawn Hemingway, UNBC & Christina McLennan, Women North Network (co-Principal Investigators); Gerard Bellefeuille and Lynda Williams, UNBC (co-investigators).
Description: This project is focused on bringing together an interdisciplinary team of university and community based researchers and community stakeholders from across northern BC to explore how gender, as a social determinant of health, is impacted when women living in northern, rural and remote communities have access to information and communication technology (ICT). Specifically, the project examines the role of ICT in: 1) overcoming negative health consequences resulting from northern/remote/rural women’s multiple caregiving roles in family and community (with one focus on the impact on older women), and 2) strengthening the aspects of northern, rural and remote living that contribute positively to women’s health.
Karin Blouw, Martha Donnelly, Frances Sampson, Mary Smith and Ruby Gordon. Development of a culturally sensitive depression and suicide risk assessment tool for use with First Nations Elders.