Frequently asked questions

GPA is designed for staff, students, and volunteers of all disciplines working with older adults and also meet the following criteria:

• All participants and GPA Certified Coaches must be 18 years of age or older
• Enrolled in/have graduated from an allied health care program at a recognized educational institution in Canada
• Currently working for/seeking employment in dementia care or a related field.

Please note: Informal care partners (i.e. family members and friends of persons living with dementia) are not eligible to participate in GPA training.

GPA eLearning is currently offered to healthcare programs in post-secondary educational institutions, individuals employed in healthcare fields, and as a prerequisite for GPA Certified Coach Candidates prior to attending GPA Certified Coach Workshops. For more information about access to GPA eLearning please contact elearning@ageinc.ca.

GPA is based on an In-House GPA Certified Coach model, whereby we recommend that staff and/or students participate in GPA training facilitated by GPA Certified Coaches within their own organizations to ensure they have ongoing support and mentorship in building and sustaining a culture of person-centered care.

If your organization has GPA Certified Coaches, AGE recommends speaking with your supervisor about when your organization plans on holding its next GPA training session(s).

If your organization does not have GPA Certified Coaches, AGE recommends speaking with your supervisor about the possibility of training two (2) In-House GPA Certified Coaches at an upcoming GPA Certified Coach Workshop. This would allow your organization to implement GPA training organization-wide to promote, enhance and sustain a culture of person-centered care.

Currently, AGE does not facilitate GPA sessions.

GPA Basics and GPA eLearning are part of the Geriatric Certificate Program (GCP). Graduates receive a Certificate of Continuing Education from McMaster University. For more information about enrolling in the Geriatric Certificate Program, click here.

After completion of GPA Basics, GPA Recharged, or iGPA session, a Certificate of Completion will be automatically sent by email to the participant. Participants may also log into the AGE Learning Portal at a later date to view and print their certificate.

Requests for changes should be directed to your GPA Certified Coach. Participants may also log into the AGE Learning Portal at a later date to view and print their certificate.

For more information about the GPA Format Options, please review our GPA Comparison Chart by clicking here.

If you have never taken GPA before the recommended format option is GPA Basics. (Please consult your in-house GPA Certified Coach for further information on upcoming training sessions)

If you have taken GPA Basics before, AGE recommends that you participate in GPA-Recharged annually, as well as GPA Basics every 3-4 years. Click here to view our renewal schedule.

If you did not receive your activation email following registration for GPA eLearning, please contact elearning@ageinc.ca.

Please ensure GPA eLearning (quantity of 1) is the only thing in your shopping cart. If you have further difficulties, please contact elearning@ageinc.ca.

GPA eLearning must be purchased individually to create an individual account log in to complete the online modules. For bulk purchases of GPA eLearning, please contact elearning@ageinc.ca.

Please ensure that you meet the prerequisite requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in dementia care, geriatric care, or a related field;
• Experience in coaching, teaching or facilitating;
• Job role includes an ongoing relationship with GPA Training Session Participants
• Completion of GPA eLearning prior to attending a GPA Certified Coach Workshop
• Registration for a GPA Certified Coach Workshop submitted via AGE’s website
• 100% attendance, participation, and successful completion of a 15-hour GPA Certified Coach Workshop

Please see the GPA eLearning Rationale document by clicking here on why GPA eLearning is a prerequisite for the GPA Certified Coach Workshop.

Please find a workshop that works best for your schedule and register via AGE’s Education Calendar.

The Zoom link for a Virtual GPA Certified Coach Workshop will be sent approximately 1 week prior to your workshop along with other important information.

If your GPA Certified Coach Workshop is In-Person, materials will be available at the location of the workshop. If your GPA Certified Coach Workshop is virtual, your materials will arrive approximately 1 week prior to the workshop to the address specified in your registration. You will receive a tracking email from Purolator with package status information. It is your responsibility to track your package. If you have further questions about this, please reach out to workshops@ageinc.ca.

There are additional opportunities alongside facilitating formal training sessions for you to log hours towards your renewal requirements. These include Informal Coaching and Continuing Education. Informal Coaching can include case-based discussions, team facilitation, meetings and huddles, workshops, and mentoring staff related to dementia, geriatrics, or healthcare. For Continuing Education, this can include any training, courses, and workshops you have completed related to dementia, geriatrics, or health and safety. These options provide more flexibility when logging your hours.

AGE strongly recommends watching the GPA Certified Coach Webinars via your coach account. These resources will provide you with guidelines on delivering GPA training and recommendations to your organization. Watching each GPA Certified Coach Webinar will count as 1 hour towards maintaining your certification.

As a GPA Certified Coach, you can also attend GPA Open Mic Sessions. GPA Open Mic sessions are an informal check-in for GPA Certified Coaches and GPA Certified Master Coaches to ask questions and prompt dialogue with peers in an open forum. They happen on either the first Monday or Wednesday of each month, with alternating morning and afternoon sessions. These count as 1 hour towards maintaining your certification.

If you have further questions or are concerned about not meeting the 40-hour minimum requirement, please reach out to info@ageinc.ca for support. (infographic on maintenance) Link

If you plan to go on leave or have just returned from leave, please contact info@ageinc.ca for further assistance and next steps.

A GPA Certified Coach’s status remains with the individual and not with the organization for which they are/were employed. Please ensure the information in your coach account is current and accurate and if you need assistance adjusting this information, please contact info@ageinc.ca.

Please reach out to info@ageinc.ca.

Informal Coaching can include case-based discussions, team facilitation, meetings and huddles, workshops, and mentoring staff related to dementia, geriatrics, or healthcare. Informal Coaching can account for up to a maximum of 20 hours towards your renewal requirements and can be logged as 1-hour increments.

Continuing Education can include any training, courses, and workshops you have completed related to dementia, geriatrics, or health and safety. Continuing Education can account for up to a maximum of 10 hours towards your renewal requirements. Some examples of Continuing Education include PIECES™, U-First®, Dementiability Methods™, and Healthcare First Aid/CPR, etc.

Currently, GPA Certified Coaches do not have the ability to edit participant information once it has been entered into the database. Please contact info@ageinc.ca for further assistance.