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
Craig Smith, BSCH, RSW, MSW
Elder Mediator and Geriatric Assessor LHIN Cornwall.
Cornwall, ON
GPA NAC CHAIR. Marjorie Belzile, RN, DOHN, BH Admin
Program Coordinator and Trainer, New Brunswick Continuing Care Safety Association (NBCCSA) / Association de sécurité des soins continus du N.-B. (ASSCNB).
Fredericton, NB
Alternate for Marjorie
GPA NAC CHAIR. Marjorie Belzile, RN, DOHN, BH Admin
Denise Paradis, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Continuing Care Safety Association.
Fredericton, NB
Micheline St. Hilaire, NBA, MSc
Chief Executive Officer, Actionmarguerite.
Winnipeg, MB
Alternate for Micheline
Carol Styles, RN, BN, MP
Assistant Chief Nursing Officer & Director of Care, Actionmarguerite.
Winnipeg, MB
Monica Bretzlaff, BA, TRS
Manager, Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO Provincial & North East) Regional Aboriginal Mental Health Services, Seniors’ Mental Health Integrated Service & Seniors’ Mental Health Regional Consultation Service.
North Bay, ON
Alternate for Monica
Debbie Hewitt Colborne, RN, MScN, GNC(C)
Project Advisor at the Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) Coordinating Office, North Bay Regional Health Centre.
North Bay, ON
Olivia Organ, B.Rec, CTRS
Recreation Specialist II, Home First Integrated Network Exploits Community Health Centre, Central Health.
Botwood, NL
Alternate for Olivia
Doug Keough, B.Rec
Regional Manager, Therapeutic Recreation, Central Health
Botwood, NL
Paul Fieldhouse, BA (Hon), BSW, MSW, RSW
Provincial Manager of Behavioural Health — Continuing Care, Nova Scotia Health Authority.
Halifax, NS
Saleema Dhalla, BA, MSc
Chief Executive Officer, SafeCare BC, the workplace health and safety association for the continuing care sector in the province.
Burnaby, BC
Tracy Danylyshen-Laycock, BSPE, MSW, RSW, Ph.D
Behavioural Consultant for the 30 long-term care homes in Saskatoon Health Region.
Saskatoon, SK