About the
GPA program
Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA®) is a Canadian, evidence-informed dementia care education program. It equips healthcare professionals with practical, compassionate strategies rooted in person-centred care and supported by research.
What is GPA?
A Compassionate, Research-Driven Approach to Dementia Care
GPA® helps care teams respond to dementia-related behaviours using empathy, safety, and skill. Developed by Advanced Gerontological Education Inc. (AGE), GPA is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit program grounded in evidence and designed to improve dementia care through education.
Evidence-based curriculum
Built on the latest dementia research to ensure evidence informed, person-centred care strategies.
Emotion-focused strategies
Empowers staff to respond with empathy and compassion to dementia-related behaviours.
Delivered by certified coaches
Facilitated by trained experts to ensure high-quality, consistent learning across all settings.
Who is GPA designed for?
Flexible training that supports interdisciplinary teams in hospitals, long-term care homes, and community care environments.
GPA is built for healthcare professionals across all care settings — from frontline staff to leadership. Whether you’re in acute care, long-term care, or home and community care, GPA provides practical tools to confidently support individuals living with dementia.
Support for Every Care Setting
- Hospitals
- Nurses, PSWs, CCAs, HSWs, HCAs, RCAs
- Long-term care homes
- Allied health professionals
- Community & home care
- Healthcare administrators
Why choose GPA for dementia care training?
GPA isn’t just another training program — it’s a nationally recognized, research-backed solution that helps healthcare organizations meet compliance standards while equipping staff with skills they can use immediately.
Legislative compliance
Meets provincial and national safety and accreditation standards for dementia care training.
Empirical foundation
Continuously developed through research, evaluation, and real-world feedback from care providers.
Confidence-building
Gives staff practical, actionable tools to manage responsive behaviours with empathy and skill.
Flexible training options to fit your needs
GPA programs are delivered in a variety of formats to meet your team’s needs — including in-person workshops, live virtual training, and blended models. All sessions are led by Certified GPA Coaches with clinical and educational expertise.
Each program aligns with national and provincial accreditation standards and includes practical strategies based on real-world care scenarios. Attendance is mandatory to ensure program integrity and learning outcomes. To successfully complete any GPA program, please note the following requirements:
100% attendance required for completion
Program fees apply
Multiple formats available
GPA national advisory committee
The GPA National Advisory Committee (NAC) provides important stakeholder feedback to inform development and enhancement of the GPA curriculum.
To enrich the scope and reach of our curriculum, committee members come from all aspects of geriatric healthcare, coast to coast. Each year we review the committee membership to ensure we are reflecting a rich and varied collaboration. If you are interested in the NAC or any AGE sub committee, we want to hear from you.
Members
Chanhoi Kim, CRT
Acting Senior Manager, Whistle Bend Place LTC
Connie Schumacher, RN, PhD
AMS Fellow, Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Brock University
Debbie Hewitt-Colburne, RN, MScN, GNC(C)
Project Advisor, Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) Provincial Coordinating Office
Ilana Elperin, RN, BScN
Clinical Nurse Educator, Minoru, Vancouver Coastal Health
Kailey Durette, BSc, BScN, RN, MEd
Professional Practice Leader Elder and Frailty Care
Lynn Slaney, BA, RN
Retired RN, Dementia & PSW Educator
Meagan Wood, BScN, RN, MN, CPMHN(C)
CEO and Registrar of the College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Melanie Murphy, RSW
Newfoundland Health Services, Department of Health & Community Services
Michael Rattai, RN, BN
Clinical Educator, Seven Oaks General Hospital Family Medicine
Monica Bretzlaff, BA, TRS
Director, North Bay Regional Health Centre, Behavioural Supports Ontario Provincial Coordinating Office, North East Behavioural Supports Ontario, Nipissing Specialized Geriatric Services
Naomi Plume, BN RN
Clinical Nurse Leader & Staff Educator Seniors Health | The Moncton Hospital / L’Hôpital de Moncton
Nicole Stewart
Paul Fieldhouse, BA (Hon); BSW, MSW, RSW
Manager Behaviour Health (Provincial) and Care Coordination, Continuing Care, Central Zone
Sian Lockwood, B.Sc., M.L.I.S.
Interim Manager, Knowledge Transfer and Exchange, Alzheimer Society of Canada
Terri De Baerdemaeker, RN
Registered Psychiatric Nurse, GPA Certified Master Coach
Valery Goulding, RN
Director, Long-Term Care, Eastern Zone, Newfoundland Health Services
Virginie Martel Carignan, BA
Responsable des programmes d’animation et des loisirs