Janice M. Keefe
Professor
Director, Nova Scotia Centre on Aging
Lena Isabel Jodrey Chair in Gerontology
BA (UPEI), MA, PhD (Guelph)
Email: msvu.ca
Phone: (902) 457-6466
Office: McCain 201F
Curriculum vitae (short version)
Short Biography PDF (198 KB)
BiographyI received my BA in Sociology from the University of Prince Edward Island, my MA in Sociology/Anthropology from the University of Guelph, and my PhD in Family Relations and Human Development in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph.Prior to coming to Mount Saint Vincent University in 1990, I worked in public municipal home care. I am currently a Professor in the Department of Family Studies and Gerontology and hold appointments at Dalhousie Faculties of Medicine and Graduate Studies.
From 2002-2012, I held the Mount’s first Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Aging and Caregiving Policy. Funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation enabled me to develop the Maritime Data Centre for Aging Research & Policy Analysis. In 2006, I was awarded the Lena Isabel Jodrey Chair in Gerontology and appointed Director, Nova Scotia Centre on Aging, and continue to hold both positions.
My research areas are family/friend caregiving, continuing care policy and practice, social demography, and Alzheimer’s disease & related dementia. I lead and/or co-lead a number of research teams examining these issues in the Canadian, and often Nova Scotian context. I have published many peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, and am often invited to share my research at regional, national, and international conferences. I have received recognition internationally for translating my research into policy, nationally for my contribution to continuing care and provincially for my contributions to Gerontology in Nova Scotia.
In Spring, 2014 I was honoured to be selected as Expert Advisor to the Minister of Seniors’ Employer Panel for Caregivers, a group seeking to identify best practices for employers seeking to support their employees who serve as family/friend caregivers.
I teach courses in social policy and aging in the Master of Arts and Undergraduate Program in the Department of Family Studies and Gerontology. I also provide mentorship and supervision to a number of graduate students and am able to provide research assistant/trainee opportunities to students through the Maritime Data Centre and the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging.
Research Interests
- Family/Friend caregivers to older people needing assistance (including women who combine work and eldercare, rural caregivers, assessment of caregivers, paying family members, and reciprocity between elderly parents and children)
- Formal caregivers and human resource issues for home care and long term care
continuum of care system - Dementia Care
- Rural aging
Selected Publications
Fancey, P., Keefe, J., Stadnyk, R., Gardiner, E., & Aubrecht, K. (Forthcoming, September 2012). Understanding and assessing the impact of nursing home approach to care and physical design on residents and their families: A synthesis of the literature. Seniors Housing & Care Journal., 20(1). 34 pp.
Lefrançois, G., Vézina, S., Keefe, J., & Légaré, J. (accepted). Trends and characteristics affecting disability among older Canadians living in private households. Canadian Studies in Population.
Dill, D. M., Keefe, J., & McGrath, D. S. (2012). The influence of intrinsic and extrinsic job values on turnover intention among Continuing Care Assistants in Nova Scotia. Home Health Care Services Quarterly. doi: 10.1080/01621424.2012.681526
Humble, Á. M., Keefe, J., & Auton, G. (2012). Caregivers’ retirement congruency: A case for caregiver support. International Journal of Aging & Human Development. 74(2), 113-142 doi 10.2190/AG.74.2.b .
Weeks, L. E., & Keefe, J., MacDonald, D. J. (In-press 2012, June). Factors predicting relocation among older adults. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 26(3).
Keefe, J., Knight, L., Martin-Matthews, A., & Légaré, J. (2011). Key issues in human resource planning for home support workers in Canada. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, 40(1), 21-28. doi:10.3233/WOR-2011-1203
Keefe, J., Légaré, J., Charbonneau, P., & Décarie, Y. (2012). Intergenerational support to older Canadians by their adult children: Implications for the future. In De Santis, G (ed.), The family, the market or the State? (pp. 141-158) Intergenerational Economic Support under Pressure in Ageing Societies series, International Studies in Population, Vol. 10. Springer Publisher. ISBN 97-94-007-4338
Keefe, J., Knight, L., Martin-Matthews, A., & Légaré, J. (2011). Key issues in human resource planning for home support workers in Canada. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, 40(1), 21-28. doi:10.3233/WOR-2011-1203.
Side, K., & Keefe, J. (2011). The role of unpaid work in maintaining individual and community health in Atlantic Canada: A case study. In A. Miles (Ed.), Women in a globalizing world: Equality, development, peace and diversity. Toronto, ON: Inanna Publications and Education (reprint by Canadian woman studies).
Légaré, J., Keefe, J., & Carrière, Y. (2010). Le soutien aux personnes âgées en perte
d’autonomie: Jusqu’où les Québécois vieillissants pourront-ils compter sur leur famille pour répondre à leurs besoins? In G-F. Dumont, A. Etchelecou, A. Parant, J-M. Robine, J-P. Sardon & B. Yvars (Eds.), Démographie et santé (pp. 77-85). CUDEP: Bordeaux, France.
Martin-Matthews, A., Tamblyn, R., Keefe, J., & Gillis, M. (2009). Bridging policy and research on aging in Canada: Recognizing an anniversary, Realizing an opportunity. Canadian Journal on Aging, 28(2), 185-193. doi: 10.1017/S0714980809090217.
Keefe, J., Fancey, P., Guberman, N., Barylak, L., & Nahmiash, D. (2008). Caregivers’ aspirations, realities, and expectations: The care tool. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 27(3), 286-308. doi: 10.1177/0733464807312236.
Guberman, N., Keefe, J., Barylak, L., & Fancey, P. (2007). "Not another form!!": Lessons for implementing caregiver assessment in health and social service agencies. Health and Social Care in the Community, 15(6), 577-587. doi.10.111/ j.1365-2524.2007.00718.x
Carrière, Y., Keefe, J., Légaré, J., Lin, X., & Rowe, G. (2007). Population aging and immediate family composition: Implications for future home care services. Genus, LXIIII(1-2), 11-31.
Keefe, J., & Rajnovich, B. (2007). To pay or not to pay: Examining underlying principles in the debate on financial support for family caregivers. Canadian Journal on Aging, 26,(S1), S77-90. doi: 10.3138/cja.26.suppl_1.77.
Keefe, J., Légaré, J., & Carrière, Y. (2007). Developing new strategies to support future caregivers of the aged in Canada: Projections of need and their policy implications. Canadian Public Policy, 33, S65-S80.
Selected Presentations
Keefe, J. (2012, April). Who Cares?: Aging Boomers and caregiver policy in Canada. Invited Big Thinking Lecture. Canadian Federation of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, Parliament Hill Restaurant, April 19, 2012.
Keefe, J. (2011, October). Family/Friend caregivers: Even "the backbone" needs support. Invited keynote speaker at the Knowledge Network in Rural & Remote Dementia Care 4th Annual Summit, Sheraton Cavalier Hotel, Saskatoon.
Keefe, J. (2011, June). Reconciling the caregiver-care recipient dyad: Perspectives from research. Presention at FICCDAT, Toronto, Ontario.
Keefe, J. (2011, May). Double duty caregivers: Nurses who navigate personal and professional boundaries when caring for older family members. Presentation at Telehealth Nursing Education broadcast from College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia, Halifax.
Keefe, J., Vézina, S., Décarie, Y., & Légaré, J. (2011, April). Projecting human resources needs to deliver chronic home care in Canada: Changes in the organization of care. Presentation at IAGG VII European Region symposium on the Organization of Home Care, Bologna, Italy.
Keefe, J. (2010, December). Financially supporting caregivers: Learnings from the international community and a Canadian example. Presentation at the 39th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the Canadian Association of Gerontology: Spotlight on Integration of Knowledge and Practice, Montreal, Quebec.
Keefe, J. (2010, December). Financially supporting caregivers: Lessons from the international community and implications for Canada. Presentation at Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health, ‘Mini Retreat on Aging’, held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Toronto.
Keefe, J. (2010, October). Caring for an aging population: Role of continuing care in Atlantic Canada. Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF), Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Keefe, J. (2010, July). Strategies for recruiting & retaining paid care providers. Presentation at 5th International Carers Conference, New Frontiers in Caring: 2010 and beyond, Leeds, UK.
Keefe, J., Charbonneau, P., Décarie, Y., & Légaré, J. (2010, June). Determinants of intergenerational exchange among older Canadians and their adult children: Implications for their future. Presentation at AIDELF General Conference, Geneva, Switzerland.
Keefe, J. (2010, May). Care of older Canadians: Policy challenges affecting caregivers. Presentation at the International Council for Canadian Studies, Montreal, Quebec.
Keefe, J., Charbonneau, P., Lefrancois, G., Décarie, Y., & Légaré, J. (2010, May). Projecting the support needed in the community to assist older Canadians: Where should you invest your business? Presentation at the Silver Economy Summit, Halifax, Nova Scotia.