Culture & Arts

Aviva is the Manager of the Department of Culture & Arts, overseeing an interdisciplinary team of 15 and working with stakeholders in the innovation, art, business, science, and technology communities. Her work looks to integrate the umbrella of the arts into healthcare practice, and create greater access to evidence based digital therapeutics that focus on the strengths of the whole person. Aviva is the co-creator of ArtontheBrainTM, a digital health solution for older adults that encourages social connectivity and promotes brain health.

Alexie Brown is a graduate of the concurrent Master of Museum Studies and Master of Information program from the University of Toronto. She has worked in a variety of culture, arts, and conservation organizations including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Toronto Zoo. At Baycrest, Alexie curates annual exhibitions at the Morris and Sally Justein Heritage Museum; cares for the museum's impressive collection of Judaica; facilitates the Museum on Wheels program; and manages the Kalifer Family Heritage and Legacy Oral History project. She is passionate about creating accessible, stimulating and enriched experiences to support the health and wellbeing of older adults.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University and a Masters of Education in Administration from the University of Toronto. He enjoyed a career of over thirty years in education in the UK, Toronto and York Region. For more than twenty of these years he was an elementary school principal. David’s administrative, management and photography skills enable him to co-ordinate art donations and to organize, maintain and document the extensive collection of art at Baycrest.

Dr. Amy Clements-Cortes is music therapist at Baycrest as well as assistant professor in music therapy at the University of Toronto, and contract academic staff at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has extensive clinical experience working with older adults in long-term and palliative care, adult mental health, complex continuing care, developmental delay and children with varied diagnoses. Amy’s research is focused in long term care, geriatrics, cognitive impairment, stress reduction, sleeping problems, pain and palliative care. She is the Past-President of the World Federation of Music Therapy and Managing Editor of the Music and Medicine Journal. Amy has presented at over 100 invited academic and conference presentations and is published in multiple peer reviewed journals, book chapters and serves on the editorial review board for 11 international journals. She is a Past-President of the Canadian Association for Music Therapists.

Brenda is a full time staff member in the Creative Arts Studio and has been working as an art specialist at Baycrest since 2003. Previous to her involvement at Baycrest, she owned and operated a business. Brenda volunteered in Baycrest’s Creative Arts Studio for 3 years, while at the same time acquiring a degree in Psychology with a focus in the areas of adult development, aging and seniors’ health. Brenda enjoys creating and individualizing art projects which accommodate each client according to their personal ability.

Merav Gilboa received her BA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem followed by a 2-year diploma program in Art Therapy at the David Yellin Institute for Arts-Assisted Therapy. Her MA is in Cultural Studies (Open University of Israel) where she explored the experiences of body and space in women with dementia in long-term care facilities. Merav has over 20 years of experience working as an Art Therapist with diverse populations ranging from children with developmental and psychiatric disorders to older adults with dementia. Merav joined Baycrest in 2013 and is currently working in the Creative Arts Studio. As part of her services at the studio she also delivers small therapeutic group programs at the hospital and the Apotex using different materials and techniques. She uses visual art as a bridge to support expression and communication with individual clients as well as in small group settings.

Cindy Kaizer has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Educational Psychology and Counseling from McGill University. She is a certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist with the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation. Her work experience includes over 28 years working at Baycrest as a Therapeutic Recreationist as well as an Instructor for McGill University’s Continuing Education Department, Teacher’s Assistant for Special Needs children, Research Assistant for McGill University’s Giftedness Centre. She was part of a Baycrest team which researched and published a guide for compiling Life History Resources for Older Adults in Institutions. Her interests include qualitative and quantitative research methods studying in areas such as quality of life and learning styles across different age groups.

Gloria is a Certified Music Therapist (MTA) and Master of Arts in Music Therapy (Concordia University) and Ethnomusicology (University of Toronto).  She has been working as a music therapist in Toronto since 2014 in long-term care and geriatric hospital settings, as well as with adults and children with developmental disabilities and/or on the autism spectrum.  Gloria is the editor of the Canadian Association for Music Therapists’ clinical magazine, Ensemble, and co-coordinates the Toronto Area Music Therapists social meet-up group.  Her approach stresses the importance of identity and cultural context, and closely aligns with person-centred care and a value for equity.

Chrissy received her Honours Bachelor of Music Therapy from the University of Windsor (2002). She completed her internship at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Aging and Veterans Care. She is a certified music therapist (MTA), a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists (RP) and a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI). She has worked in various settings including long-term care, palliative care, acute care, adult group homes, and inpatient and community mental health. She currently works at Baycrest Centre and is the clinical manager at a local non-profit music therapy clinic, the Music Therapy Centre. Chrissy is an active clinical supervisor and has received teaching and supervision awards from both Sunnybrook and Baycrest. Advocating for music therapy and providing presentations and consultations about the benefits of music therapy is an important part of her work.

Meghan Richardson is a recipient of a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from OCADU.  Meghan has been invested and active in the arts industry for many years as a Gallery Director, Photographer, Art Consultant and Art Installer.  She has been involved in the community as a committee member for the Buy Art Not Kids art auction, docent for Art Gems, creative works studio art auction, event & portrait photographer for many charitable events around the GTA.

Emily Sitter received her Bachelors of Recreation and Leisure Studies with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation and a minor in Psychology from Brock University. In 2016, Emily attained the credential of a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, CTRS, from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation and is a Registered Professional member with Therapeutic Recreation of Ontario. Furthermore, Emily is actively pursuing a certificate in Project Management.

Emily has years of experience in the field of Therapeutic Recreation, working with diverse populations of children, youth, and older adults in community,  hospital and long term care facilities. Emily has been a part of the Culture & Arts Department since 2016, coordinating cultural programs and services for both the Apotex residents and hospital patients. Emily looks forward to facilitate best-practices to improve the quality of life and well-being for our clients and their families through the use of therapeutic programs. Emily full-heartily believes that our residents do not live in our workplace, but rather we work in their home!
 

Melissa Tafler is the Coordinator of the Arts and Health program at Baycrest. Her work involves leading the development and operationalization of initiatives that integrate the arts across clinical programs, education and research in health and aging. After over 15 years of clinical experience as a geriatric social worker, Melissa began exploring the use of creative, arts-based approaches with older adults with neurodegenerative disease, and became passionate and determined to expand this work across the healthcare sector. Melissa also provides consultation on the integration of arts-based learning and curriculum development for clinical staff through Baycrest’s Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation.

Shoshana Yaakobi is the Baycrest Holocaust Resource Program Coordinator and the social worker at the Sam & Ida Ross Memory Clinic. She has worked as a social worker in Israel & Canada in various capacities after obtaining a Bachelor of Social Work from the Hebrew University in Israel and a Masters of Social Work from Charles Sturt University in Australia. Since 2009, she has worked with aging Holocaust Survivors and their families, providing individual and family counseling, facilitating support groups and developing programs for survivors. She is also involved in developing and providing educational programs for care providers working with survivors. In addition, since August 2016, as the social worker in the Sam & Ida Ross Memory Clinic, Shoshana provides counselling & support to families of clients diagnosed with dementia.