TREC - Translating Research in Elder Care

10/23/2026

Read our latest oped -- in Policy Options / Options politiques, from TREC's founder and Scientific Advisor, Dr. Carole Estabrooks

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/10/trauma-informed-care/

10/19/2026

TREC Research:

Changes in nurses’ quality of work life prior to and during COVID: A repeated cross-sectional analysis

While emerging research has described pandemic-related strain across the LTC workforce, most studies have been cross-sectional, focused on care aides or mixed staff groups, leaving limited evidence on how nurses’ quality of work life changed from before to during the pandemic.

As a result, little is known about how the pandemic specifically affected LTC nurses’ emotional exhaustion, mental health, and job experiences over time.

This study provides a pre- and mid-pandemic comparison of LTC nurses in Canada, revealing significant increases in emotional exhaustion and declines in mental health, alongside an unexpected decrease in cynicism.

It also suggests that burnout dimensions may follow distinct trajectories under crisis conditions, a pattern consistent with theoretical accounts in which meaning- and value-based resources buffer against cynicism even when workload demands drive exhaustion.

The results identify specific areas, such as workload and mental health support, where targeted interventions are most urgently needed to sustain the LTC nursing workforce.

Read more:

10/07/2026

TREC Research:

Association of compassion fatigue and work context with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among care aides in nursing homes

This study examined the associations of compassion fatigue and unit-level work environment with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among nursing home care aides, a workforce providing essential care yet understudied for mental health risks, particularly during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

What we found:
Compassion fatigue was significantly associated with PTSD symptoms among nursing home care aides, while unit‑level work environment did not show statistically significant associations, though these null findings should be interpreted with caution.

During systemic crises such as the pandemic, interventions targeting compassion fatigue at the individual level may offer more immediate benefit than broader environmental modifications for this vulnerable frontline workforce.

Read more:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42458063/

Compassion fatigue was significantly associated with PTSD symptoms among nursing home care aides, while unit‑level work environment did not show statistically significant associations, though these null findings should be interpreted with caution. During systemic crises such as the pandemic, inter...

10/07/2026

October 9 is !
✅ Let's end Ageism - and Elder Abuse!
🔹 Ageism isn’t just unfair—it’s harmful. It shapes how society treats and can lead to neglect, isolation, and abuse.
Everyone deserves to age with dignity, safety, and respect.
🔸 View EAPO Videos 👉 https://conta.cc/3NF2P7F
🔸 Listen to the EAPO "Aging Vibrantly" podcast : 👉 https://eapon.ca/podcast/
🔸 Don’t forget to subscribe to the EAPO newsletter to stay informed on the latest news, events, and resources : 👉 https://eapon.ca/reg/



CanAge Canadian Coalition Against Ageism National Institute on Ageing UN Decade of Healthy Ageing

10/01/2026

On this , we celebrate the contributions that older adults in Canada have made and continue to make to their families, communities and society.

Seniors are proud to call Canada home, report high satisfaction with their family relationships and are less likely to live in poverty than Canadians overall. Curious to learn more? Check out our latest article: https://ow.ly/KsS550ZTzzB.

Data on age and gender from the will be released in May 2027. Find the full release schedule here: https://ow.ly/1oRr50ZTzzC.

Seniors in Canada

09/28/2026

TREC Research!

"We feel like we don't matter": the work experience of caring for long-term care residents with suspected trauma-related responsive behaviors

There is increasing awareness that many long-term care (LTC) residents may have experienced trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetimes, conditions that can be comorbid with dementia and/or complex mental health conditions.

In Canada, health care aides provide the vast majority of direct care to such residents. This qualitative study explored their experiences working with residents whose responsive behaviors may indicate past trauma or PTSD.

What we found:
Two improvements could help care aides working with residents with suspected trauma backgrounds: greater understanding of trauma and knowledge of trauma terminology, and use of a trauma-informed care framework. Such changes would likely improve resident quality of life by helping care aides better differentiate responsive behaviors, deliver targeted and individualized care, and avoid resident retraumatization.

Implementation of trauma-informed care, however, needs to build on existing care aide expertise to facilitate uptake and ensure sustainability.

Read more:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42218489/

Two improvements could help care aides working with residents with suspected trauma backgrounds: greater understanding of trauma and knowledge of trauma terminology, and use of a trauma-informed care framework. Such changes would likely improve resident quality of life by helping care aides better d...

09/24/2026

Our congratulations to TREC trainees Brittany DeGraves and Yasin Barbakh, who received Canadian Nurses Foundation Scholarships!

09/24/2026

TREC Research:
Association of long-term care organizational context, facilitation, and their interactions with resident pain: a cross-sectional study

Highlights

•Pain is common in long-term care (LTC) home residents.

•Higher proportion of care aides suggesting improvements linked to low resident pain.

•LTC Context and facilitation interact dynamically to influence resident pain.

•In low social capital units, higher manager citizenship behaviour linked to less pain.

•In low informal interaction units, higher care hours linked to less pain.

We examined whether organizational context (work environment), facilitation (support for evidence-based practices), and their interaction are associated with pain among long-term care (LTC) home residents.

What we found:
Encouraging care aides to suggest improvements may help reduce resident pain. Tailored interventions, such as boosting manager OCB in units with low social capital and increasing care hours where informal interaction is low, may help address resident pain in LTC homes.

Read more:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197457226003034

09/24/2026

Launching Oct. 7, 2026Starting With Strength: Rethinking Rural Ag...

09/23/2026

Worth a watch:

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