Care of the Elderly (COE) Training Programs
Accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada
Overview
Canadian university departments of family medicine offer six and twelve month
fellowships in care of the elderly that are accredited by the College of Family
Physicians of Canada (CFPC). This further training is provided to family physician
certificants who want to lead in the provision of care of the elderly in their
communities.
Family physicians choosing to pursue care of the elderly training may work in a
variety of settings including family health teams (outpatient clinics and housecall
care), hospital specialty clinics (memory and falls clinics), long term care facilities
(nursing homes), elderly residences, geriatric day hospitals and inpatient geriatric
rehabilitation programs. Family physicians with care of the elderly training often
work closely with geriatricians (certified by the RCPSC) on clinical, educational and
research projects aimed at improving care of Canadian seniors.
The CFPC relies on family physicians with a special interest and focused practice in
care of the elderly to help guide and strengthen the traditional comprehensive
continuing care provided by family physicians who see patients of all ages. The
CFPC recognizes family physicians with special interests and focused practices and
has a section for Care of the Elderly.
See http://www.cfpc.ca/HCOEWhoWeAre/ for more detailed information.
Curriculum
Training is directed toward care of the frail elderly in the context of care of seniors
generally, and toward preventing frailty. The following are four broad goals for COE:
1. Defining the discipline in terms of knowledge and attitudes
2. Refining and extending clinical skills appropriate to the discipline
3. Creating an awareness of the services available in the community with
utilization of a team approach
4. Creating the skills for community leadership in the development of geriatric
services and health promotion.
Training experiences for COE usually include:
• Geriatric assessment and treatment ward
• Consultation in acute care hospital ward and emergency department
• Outpatient or community assessment services
• Home care
• Nursing home or long-term care facility
• Psychogeriatric service
• An inpatient or outpatient setting providing geriatric rehabilitation