Optima Living Funds New PhD Award in Seniors Care Innovation

Photo Credit: Optima Living

In October, the Faculty of Nursing announced a new partnership with Optima Living that represents a significant investment in the future of seniors care, nursing research and student learning. Through a total commitment of $250,000 over five years, Optima Living is establishing the Optima Living PhD Graduate Award for Innovation in Seniors Living and creating new opportunities for collaboration across education, research and practice.

Each year, two PhD students in the Faculty of Nursing will receive a $25,000 award to pursue research in areas that are transforming what it means to age well in the 21st century. These include digital health and AI, healthy aging and dementia care. By supporting emerging scholars in these fields, Optima Living is helping advance the innovations, evidence-based practices and new knowledge that will improve quality of life for older adults across Alberta.

“This award is an extension of Optima Living’s belief that excellence in seniors care begins with excellence in knowledge creation,” says Farid Damji, co-founder and principal of Optima Living. “By supporting PhD research in nursing and partnering with the University of Alberta, we’re helping shape the future of seniors care across Alberta.”

The new award deepens a partnership rooted in shared values and a commitment to compassionate, person-centred care. Beyond research funding, the collaboration opens new pathways for nursing students to discover the rewards of a career in seniors care early on. Through preceptorships in Optima Living communities, undergraduate nurses will gain first-hand experience in dementia care, long-term care and community-based supports, showing them the depth, complexity and fulfillment of this field from the very start of their careers. Optima Living leaders will also bring their expertise into classrooms and undertake two-way knowledge sharing to ensure current best thinking is applied, bridging education and practice to inspire the next generation of seniors care professionals.

Shannon Scott, dean of the Faculty of Nursing, noted that this partnership will help ensure research generated at the University of Alberta has real-world impact. “Partnerships like this one help ensure our students’ research translates into meaningful improvements for seniors in Alberta,” she said. “This collaboration will create valuable opportunities for learning, mentorship and shared innovation, strengthening our collective ability to care for an aging population.”

This award also complements Optima Living’s existing partnership with the Department of Medicine and their collaboration with professor Adrian Wagg on aging and dementia research. Together, these efforts highlight the importance of uniting academic research and care-provider expertise to improve outcomes for older adults.

At its heart, this partnership is a shared investment in a healthier future, one where students, researchers and care providers work together to reimagine what aging can look like.