June 16, 2021
Grace Maier, pictured at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital prior to the COVID pandemic, is the 2021 recipient of the Alberta Association on Gerontology’s Mary Morrison Davis Award.
Story by Sharman Hnatiuk | Photo by Raylene Pearson
For Grace Maier, the stories and wisdom shared by her patients over a career spanning more than 30 years in seniors health have always brought a richness to her work.
“When you realize how much this population has contributed to their family, community, and the province, it becomes a motivator to contribute as much as you can to their health and wellness,” says Maier, director of geriatrics at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.
“You want to support them to continue to build on their strengths to be their best for themselves and their loved ones.”
Maier is the 2021 recipient of the Alberta Association on Gerontology (AAG) Mary Morrison Davis Award, named in recognition of an exemplary Alberta champion of aging and older people.
After competing her undergrad in human ecology, Maier worked as a dietitian for seven years before going back to school to complete her Masters in Health Services Administration. Since then, Maier has maintained a management role in seniors health in either continuing care or rehabilitation.
Since joining the Glenrose as a director in 2001, Maier has supported a complex portfolio that includes program responsibilities for inpatient and ambulatory geriatric assessment and rehabilitation, cognitive assessment and rehabilitation, and geriatric psychiatry.
As well as her role as local organizer of the advocacy-leading Greying Nation conference series focused on successful aging, Maier has presented locally, nationally and internationally on geriatrics and rehabilitation. She was instrumental in the design, launch and spread of MoveEZ, a volunteer-led program focused on minimizing deconditioning in frail seniors.
Maier contributed on the policy paper: Older Albertans Living Well: A Call to Action to Enhance Care and Services. She’s also served as a longstanding member of the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council, works with the Alberta Association on Gerontology, and assisted with the City of Edmonton’s launch of Age Friendly Edmonton.
As the former site lead of the Glenrose, Isabel Henderson shares how Maier’s influence has continued to have a significant impact on clinical, research and technology innovation for seniors at the hospital.
“For over three decades, Grace Maier has been instrumental in advancing a greater understanding and awareness of the challenges of aging,” says Henderson, executive director, Special Projects – Clinical Operations, AHS.
“In acknowledgement of her continued, tireless, passionate work, Grace is most deserving of the Mary Morrison Davis Award of Excellence Award.”
While Maier is honoured to receive the prestigious award, she’s quick to point out her incredible team in geriatrics at the Glenrose.
“There are more people involved in the support of healthcare of geriatric patients. I am honoured by the individual recognition, but none of this would be possible without the support of great teams.”
