Research at Deer Lodge Centre

Our Research Program

Deer Lodge Centre is home to a wide variety of research activity focused on a set of core clinical topics. Our goal is to support and encourage inquiry that is directly engaged in improving the quality of life by advancing clinical practice, educating staff and building up our expertise. We accomplish these goals by:

• Having a Research Committee that sets overall goals and supports investigators in gaining access to the site
• Carrying out knowledge translation reviews to assess the impact of all research on patient care
• Providing infrastructure and management support to institutions and investigators

We operate research in a variety ways: through ongoing studies hosted at the Centre, by supporting external researchers and graduate students in their work, through specialty clinics with in-house research activity, and through our partnership in Vet-Link, a national network of researchers in veterans care facilities.

The Interdisciplinary Summer Research Program

Preparing the caregivers and researchers of tomorrow

The Interdisciplinary Summer Research Program is a unique research and educational initiative developed through the Deer Lodge Centre's Collaborative Research Unit and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Nursing. The program began as a pilot project in the summer of 1996 when a group of four students from different faculties was brought together to assist Dr. Lorna Guse with the completion of a number of ongoing research projects. As well as research experience, the students participated in a formal seminar series that focused on issues, tools and techniques in gerontological research and care, and gained practical experience working in a long-term care setting. While resources were limited and students worked only on a part time basis, the experience proved to be an extremely positive one and the program quickly gained wide recognition.

Financial support from the Deer Lodge Foundation, Human Resources Development Canada and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Nursing has allowed this program to grow and expand. For the past five years this support has enabled us to employ graduating university students on full time basis to focus on a single research project completed over the course of the summer. The program provides an exciting opportunity for these students to develop research, clinical and academic knowledge. There is now keen competition to participate in this program, and the calibre of students participating is exceptional. Projects to date have investigated staff and resident perceptions of quality of life in long term care, strength training in the frail elderly, falls in the long term care setting, and the development and use of life albums in long term care.