Kūpuna Workforce Innovation Hub (KWIH)
Lead: Christy Nishita, Ph.D.
Team Members: Kendi Ho, Ph.D.; Whitney Katsutani, MSW; Kevin Kawamoto, Ph.D.
:
Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce
- State Strategic Plan – This plan, Strengthening Hawai’i’s Long-Term Direct Care Workforce was developed with funding from the State Executive Office on Aging. It provides data, best practices, and recommendations for improving the local recruitment and retention of direct care workers (DCWs). [View the plan here]
- Understanding the Motivations of DCWs – Team member Whitney Katsutani’s dissertation research hopes to highlight the motivating factors for DCWs entering and being retained in Hawai’i’s long-term care organizations.
Eldercare Curriculum in High Schools
- KWIH’s eldercare curriculum is deployed with the high school health academies and as a DOE teacher externship. The curriculum materials and intergenerational activities strive to build awareness of aging issues, develop empathy, and empower students to take action in their families and communities. KWIH partners with Punahele Pathways on this effort to disseminate the curriculum on all islands.
Career Pathways in Eldercare
- KWIH is working with the DOE, community colleges, the Kūpuna Collective, and other partners to create career pathways in aging. It works as an intermediary to connect schools with long-term care partners. In addition, KWIH is also creating work-based learning materials and activities to support interest in aging careers starting in the middle-school through high-school and post-secondary levels.
To enhance the well-being of older adults through interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts in research, educational programs, and service to the community
Contact
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Gartley Hall
2430 Campus Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
- Mail : uhcoa@hawaii.edu
