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About AGE Inc.

AGE is a not-for-profit social enterprise. Our Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) curriculum gives healthcare students & care providers the dementia-care knowledge and skills they need. Watch our video to learn more.

AGE is about People

More than 450,000 healthcare staff & students coast to coast have participated in Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA), our dementia care curriculum. (Photo: GPA Certified Coach Workshop at Actionmarguerite in Winnipeg, MB)  Read testimonials

AGE is about Personhood

Dementia is not a normal part of aging. It is a disease. Understanding the unique human being behind the disease is the first step in our person-centred approach to care. (Video clip from the upcoming GPA Bathing Program). Download our GPA Fact Sheet

AGE is about Protection

Care providers often feel helpless and at risk. Our dementia care curriculum equips them with knowledge and skills that instill lasting confidence. Read this team’s story about resilience at the point of care during the pandemic. (Photo: Halton Region, Team from Milton Adult Day Program & Allendale LTC, Milton, Ontario.) 

AGE is about Practice

Our dementia care curriculums combine best practices, empirically tested behavioural strategies and current evidence-informed research. Visit our research page to learn more. (Photo: Aberdeen Gardens Retirement Residence in Hamilton, Ontario.) 

AGE is about Progress

There’s more than one way to do GPA! Choose in-person  learning, virtual learning, a combination of the two, or independent GPA eLearning (ideal for students). For every GPA format there’s a virtual option! Watch our video to learn more. (Photo on PC: A virtual GPA Certified Coach Workshop in 2021)

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Featured News & Updates

AGE Recognition Awards Cel

The 2020 | 2021 awards celebrate the resilience of GPA Certified Coaches and their teams. We invited Coaches to submit stories of GPA’s impact at the point of care during the pandemic. Read our latest story from Coach Mariam at Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga Hospital, Southern Ontario.

Apply or share the link!

Learn more about this position: Application deadline: Monday, April 18th, 2022.

News & Announcements

AGE Presents at CGNA 2023 in Niagara Falls, Ontario

April 28, 2023

AGE presented at CGNA 2023 in Niagara Falls on April 20th, 21st, and 22nd. MIchele Bliss, AGE Clinical Education Specialist and Phyllis Fehr, International Dementia Advocate and Person Living with Dementia presented, “Focus on the Person. Exploring an Advocate’s Viewpoint... Learn More »

It’s National Volunteer Week and AGE Inc. is Happy to Celebrate Our Volunteers!

April 18, 2023

  During #NationalVolunteerWeek we want to take a moment to express our deep appreciation for the invaluable contributions of our Volunteer Board Members, Members of the GPA National Advisory Committee, the GPA Bathing Curriculum Development Committee, the R&D Committee and... Learn More »

Don Seymour appointed as Advanced Gerontological Education (AGE) Inc.’s new Executive Director

March 21, 2023

HAMILTON, ON, March 21st, 2023. Advanced Gerontological Education (AGE) Inc. is a national not-for-profit social enterprise providing dementia-care education to healthcare staff and students working at the point of care with older adults. The organization is pleased to announce Don Seymour as... Learn More »

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NOTE: Please refer to GPA Coach information page for certification prerequisites. Supporting documents must be uploaded at registration. Participation at a GPA Education Session is now a prerequisite for GPA Certified Coach Training. If you have not participated in a GPA Education Session within the last 24 months, please contact info@ageinc.ca for information on how to access prior to attending the GPA Coach Training Workshop.

Access all AGE Education Offerings

Enhancing the care of older adults by learning together

The first step in our patient-centred approach to care is understanding the whole person.

Dr. Samir Sinha. Expert lead of the Ontario Seniors Strategy and founding Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for Canada's National Institute on Aging speaks about GPA.

Nouveau! GPA est maintenant disponible en français : Approches Douces et Persuasives (ADP) dans les soins aux personnes atteintes de démence. Regardez la vidéo pour en apprendre plus.

In collaboration with AGE and multiple educational partners, including the Division of Geriatric Medicine at McMaster University, a new geriatric curriculum has been launched – the Geriatric Certificate Program (GCP). Click here for more information.

A Tribute to our Past: The GPA Legacy Rose

The cradled rose is an element from our original Gentle Persuasive Approaches logo. It represents our belief in a gentle, nurturing and respectful response to caring for older persons. Although our logo has evolved over time, our approach remains firmly rooted in person-centred care.

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”
– Victor Hugo

Photo credit: Gardener Hands. Photographer: Lesleigh Bahnmaier, Lenexa, Kansas.
Photo used with permission from the Landon Center on Aging “Images of Aging” photo contest © University of Kansas Medical Centre.