CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Conestoga College and Schlegel Villages celebrate reopening of Living Classroom in Guelph

Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning and Schlegel Villages celebrated the grand reopening of the Living Classroom at the Village of Riverside Glen in Guelph on December 5.

The revitalized space is home to an innovative model that integrates education directly into a long-term care home to support workforce development in senior living. Conestoga students and faculty engage in a culture of shared learning alongside Riverside Glen residents, visitors and staff.

Dr. Natalia Ronda speaks at the grand reopening of the Living Classroom at Riverside Glen in Guelph.
 

The model was first implemented in Ontario through a partnership with Conestoga, the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging and Schlegel Villages to enrich lives and advance health-care education to help address the growing need for skilled professionals in the field.

Conestoga has graduated more than 2,800 PSWs from all college campuses since 2020.

Riverside Glen opened as the first Living Classroom in 2009, now renovated to offer a refreshed space on the lower level of the Woodlawn Road home and increased capacity to train Personal Support Workers (PSW). Conestoga students learning to become a PSW benefit from this unique approach that integrates classroom and clinical teaching within a live long-term care environment.

The college's area within the home includes invaluable learning spaces where students practise new skills, and the amenities are also available to Schlegel staff for training. In a bed lab that mimics a care environment, students learn how to perform essential skills for the profession such as safe lifts and transfers. A simulation suite outfitted with a bed, bathroom and furniture allows students to practise in a realistic residential setting either with trained actors standing in as patients or high-tech mannequins while being supervised from a control room.

Being located within Riverside Glen allows students to participate in activities for the home's residents, who also speak to classes to give students a better understanding of their lived experience.

Conestoga PSW graduate Ellie Jack is now a technologist for the college who facilitates labs at Riverside Glen, where she sees firsthand the advantage of having students training within the home where they get a feel for the daily routines, regular tasks and become familiar with equipment and devices.

Labs located next to classrooms allow students to immediately apply theory through hands-on lessons. 

"This is a beautifully redone lab," Jack said during a tour of the Living Classroom. "It's really wonderful to see a space that supports our learning so well."

Funding and expansion of the Living Classroom

Conestoga and Schlegel Villages is working on opening another Living Classroom in Milton, in addition to the existing two in Guelph and Waterloo.

Building on the success at Riverside Glen, the Research Institute for Aging is currently expanding the Living Classroom model with funding from the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care, in partnership with the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators. 

With the current funding from the province until March 2026, the institute aims to further spread the Living Classroom model by supporting existing classrooms and launching new locations. The model will expand to include partnerships with additional colleges, adult education school boards and Indigenous learning institutes. Different models of the Living Classroom will be evaluated, along with the impact on the recruitment and retention of PSWs in Ontario long-term care homes.

Quotations:

"Conestoga is profoundly grateful to Schlegel Villages and the Research Institute for Aging for their vision and continued support of this innovative model of learning. Through the Living Classroom, our students gain invaluable experiences bridging theory and practice, and learning alongside residents and staff.  It gives us great joy to be able to reopen this fantastic space that will continue to serve as a true testament to our collaborative partnership and our shared vision of learning excellence, compassion and community building. We are certain that our Living Classroom graduates are ready to not only enter practice in long-term care as competent clinical team members, but as future leaders."

Dr. Natalia Ronda, Dean, Health and Life Sciences, School of Health & Life Sciences, Conestoga College.

"As we celebrate this revitalized space, let's remember what it symbolizes: a commitment to learning, connection and the future of caregiving. To our partners in education, our team, and our residents and their families - thank you for making this vision a reality. Together, we are not only transforming how we care for elders, but also shaping a generation of professionals who will carry forward the values of dignity, respect and compassion. The living classroom is more than a concept. It is a legacy of hope and collaboration will leave a lasting impact for years to come."

Bryce McBain, General Manager of The Village of Riverside Glen.

"The Schlegel Villages team truly wishes to express our gratitude to the Conestoga College leadership team and faculty for the long-standing partnership and opportunity to innovate. Almost two decades ago, leaders from both organizations imagined the enhanced learning experience for students and the natural opportunities for sharing life-long lessons by residents and an experienced team that could seamlessly occur in a shared classroom."

Joanne Potts, Vice-President Operations West Villages, Schlegel Villages.

"The Living Classroom is great example of research coming together with education and practice: a partnership model that integrates personal support worker education into a long-term care home to support workforce development. Through this model, students gain real-life experience, practise skills outside of the traditional classroom setting, and develop an interest and preparedness for a career in long-term care. We also hope that residents, families and team members from the home benefit from student engagement and have the opportunity to provide mentorship and build relationships with students."

Noel Gruber, Director of Communications and Public Relations, Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA).

"Collaborations between the private and institutional sectors offer tremendous potential for cities and its residents. The Living Classroom partnership between Schlegel Villages and Conestoga College means Guelph benefits from having locally trained PSWs that better understand the needs of patients than is otherwise possible with a traditional education model. I hope this program inspires other local industries to look at what is possible with their own out-of-the-box approaches."

Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph.

"Personal Support Workers and the care they provide mean the world to residents and their families. The Living Classroom is a leader in training PSWs, combining theory and hands-on experience in an innovative way. I am grateful to the Village of Riverside Glen, Conestoga College and the team who keep the Living Classroom going for the benefit of residents. We need your caring and expertise now more than ever. Congratulations to all on this new chapter for the Living Classroom."

Mike Schreiner, MPP for Guelph.