Featured Projects
The Centre on Aging highlights current research and educational projects led by its members and trainees. These projects reflect the wide range of aging-related work happening across UCalgary and demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary collaboration.
This page is regularly updated with new and ongoing projects that are helping to shape the future of aging research and education.
Strengthening compassion in healthcare: A research-based training program to improve patient care and reduce provider burnout
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.
Key findings:
- 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.
- Benefits for providers: EnACT has been shown to increase compassion competence, reduce burnout, and strengthen clinicians’ confidence in addressing suffering and providing compassion.
- Benefits for patients: Patients cared for by EnACT-trained providers report higher ratings of compassion, improved communication, and stronger therapeutic relationships.
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 workforce wellbeing.
Creating a more equitable health system: Tools and strategies to help healthcare teams communicate with people with hearing loss
Hearing loss is common among older adults but often overlooked in healthcare. Without proper support, it can lead to poor communication with healthcare providers, negatively impacting care. A research team led by Dr. Marcello Tonelli at UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine is exploring how Alberta’s health system can better support people with hearing loss.
Key findings from the team’s work include:
- Prevalence and risk: Analysis of provincial data shows that at least 150,000 adults in Alberta have hearing loss. It is linked to higher risks of heart attack, stroke, depression, dementia, and long-term care placement.
- Hospital-based testing: Of 372 patients tested in medical, surgical, and hemodialysis units, nearly half had hearing loss. Those with difficulty communicating reported poorer care experiences.
- Patient and community feedback: Focus groups and surveys revealed that fewer than 1 in 4 people with hearing loss described Alberta Health Services as accessible. Respondents called for better provider training, accessible communication tools (e.g., visual aids, voice amplifiers), and formal policies to document and accommodate hearing needs.
- Screening tools: The team also evaluated hearing apps and questionnaires to assess their accuracy in identifying hearing loss in busy care environments.
This research is informing the Communication Accessible Designation, a new initiative at Alberta Health Services. Facilities can earn this designation by implementing tools and training to improve communication accessibility. A pilot is underway and will expand in fall 2025.
