January 15, 2001

Baycrest and the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto to study impact of social work services on the quality of life of seniors

Toronto, ON -- Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care and the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto have joined forces to advance knowledge about innovative and effective social service programs that address the needs of an aging Canadian population.

Baycrest and the university have appointed Canada's first research chair in Gerontological Social Work. Dr. Elsa Marziali, a professor at the Faculty of Social Work, with an international reputation as a clinical researcher and educator, is the recipient of The Norman and Honey Schipper Chair in Gerontological Social Work. It is a three-year appointment.

Established with a generous gift from Toronto philanthropists Joseph and Sandra Rotman, and J. Richard Shiff and Family, as well as University of Toronto proceeds from the Brazilian Ball, the Chair is a joint appointment of Baycrest and the Faculty of Social Work. It is named in honour of Norman and Honey Schipper who are long-time supporters of Baycrest and active volunteers.

As the Chair, Dr. Marziali will set the direction for the Ben and Hilda Katz Centre in Gerontological Social Work, which was established at Baycrest and the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto in 1996. The Katz Centre is the result of a generous gift by long-time Baycrest supporters, the late Ben and Hilda Katz.

In the field of gerontological social work, the Katz Centre is unique in Canada, and possibly all of North America, because it is based in a multi-service practice setting and shares with the other disciplines at Baycrest a strong focus on clinical research. The Faculty of Social Work, recognized as one of North America's leaders in social work education and research, is a leading academic centre in gerontological social work.

"Baycrest has a breadth of expertise in gerontological social work that is unmatched anywhere else in the country," says Dr. Marziali, who is highly regarded for her work in psychotherapy and has published widely in this area.

In collaboration with the social workers at Baycrest, Dr. Marziali has begun a research process which will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of social work programs provided for clients and their families. The data generated from such research will contribute to the development of specialist training programs in gerontological social work and will help shape health policies for seniors across the country.

"We owe it to our elderly clients and their families to demonstrate that the services we provide meet their needs and if not, how services can be modified to ensure their effectiveness," says Dr. Marziali.

For the immediate future, Dr. Marziali's vision for the Ben and Hilda Katz Centre is twofold: 1) build a strong clinical research program in the social work department at Baycrest, and 2) develop a post graduate specialist training program in gerontological social work practice and research. In addition, the centre will support University of Toronto social work internship programs at both the Masters and Doctoral levels.

"The Faculty of Social Work is proud of its partnership with Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and delighted that Dr. Marziali has agreed to provide leadership for the Ben and Hilda Katz Centre," says Dr. Wes Shera, Dean of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. "The research to be conducted at the centre should provide important new knowledge for the future development of services for seniors."

"Baycrest has always had a superb reputation for clinical social work," adds Dr. David Streiner, Director of the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. "Combining this with Dr. Marziali's extensive and wide-ranging expertise in social work research will enable Baycrest to become one of the world's foremost centres."