S. Brendalee Boisvert and S. Stella Chafe
Trusted Partners
Of our many trusted partnerships, few are as treasured as those with the congregations who chose to call Shannex home. The Sisters of Charity have been part of the Shannex family since 2002 when members of the congregation moved to Parkstone in Clayton Park. By 2007, plans were made for the Sisters to leave the Motherhouse on Mount Saint Vincent University campus and move into the newly-built Caritas Residence. Parkland Riverview has been welcoming members of the Filles de Jésus congregation since 2009, and the Congrégation de Notre-Dame moved into Parkland Cape Breton in 2011. Most recently, in 2018, the Sisters of St. Martha moved into their new home at Parkland Antigonish from nearby Bethany House, which had been their home for 96 years.
We are proud to support the sense of community, mindfulness and charity that is so important to all the congregations who make Shannex their home.
Local Schools
Sacred Heart School of Halifax
Parkland at the Gardens, Shannex’s most urban retirement living community, and the Sacred Heart School of Halifax are great neighbours. And like all great neighbours, they have established meaningful friendships by getting to know each other. Not only do Sacred Heart students of all levels regularly visit residents at Parkland on the Gardens, but residents also contribute to creating educational opportunities for young people who may not otherwise have the means to attend Sacred Heart. Each year since 2014, Parkland at the Gardens has been a lead sponsor of the Sacred Heart Bursary Dinner Fundraiser. We are proud to help give talented, motivated students the chance to contribute to our community, both today and for years to come.
Anglophone North School District
Shannex is fortunate to have a strong partnership with the New Brunswick Anglophone North School District (ANSD) and has a long history of supporting the local nursing homes in Miramichi, New Brunswick. More specifically, in 2020, we worked with the ANSD to implement and support an Introduction to Healthcare course giving local high school students an opportunity to explore a variety of career opportunities in the health care field. In February 2021, we welcomed the first group of students and since then, many intergenerational activities have also been taking place. More recently, more courses have been established such as creating connections, sharing stories, and learning lessons courses.
When ANSD received a “New Horizons for Seniors” grant in 2021, their key focus was to help support intergenerational connections between students and Shannex residents at Bridgeview Hall and Losier Hall. In addition, to help purchase technology to keep connected during COVID-19, the grant also enabled students to work with a video production company to interview residents at both homes. ANSD is also planning to purchase the technology students will need to continue with the initiative, thereby creating opportunities for more videos in the future.
Education and Innovation
The Maplestone Collaborative Learning Centre in partnership with Dalhousie University
In 2010, Shannex and Dalhousie University teamed up to create the first academic nursing home in Atlantic Canada. Together we established the Collaborative Learning Centre (CLC) at Maplestone Enhanced Care in Halifax. Dalhousie Medical School’s Department of Family Medicine residents, along with students from ten other health professions, including nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, social work, and speech-language pathology, come to learn in the collaborative nursing home setting. As of 2018, hundreds of learners have been involved in training activities at Maplestone.
University of New Brunswick
The Shannex New Brunswick Scholarship
In 2018, Shannex and UNB announced the beginning of the Shannex New Brunswick Scholarship, which provides significant support to eligible students in the Bachelor of Nursing degree program. In total, $100,000 will be awarded. Three $3,750 scholarships will be awarded for each of the next 10 years to eligible students at each of UNB’s three New Brunswick locations: Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton.
Université de Moncton
Centre collaboratif d’apprentissage sur le veillissement
At Faubourg du Mascaret in Moncton, our first French-language campus, has partnered with Université de Moncton to create the Collaborative Learning Centre on Aging (CLCA) (Centre collaboratif d’apprentissage sur le veillissement [CCAV]). The CLCA features an inter-professional learning environment for health professionals, research opportunities, internships and jobs for students in the province. The goal of the CLCA is to lead a positive change in attitudes towards long-term care culture and care of older adults.
