History

The Gerontological Nurses Group of British Columbia (GNGBC) was founded through a process of evolution and partnership of chapters located in Vancouver (founded in 1981) and Victoria (founded 1983) as well as partners located in Kamloops and Kelowna. The original name of the group was the Gerontological Nurses Group of BC  (GNGBC). At a provincial conference in 1989 it became a formal specialty group open to provincial membership.

The Association became a Registered Nurses’ Association of BC (RNABC) professional practice group in 1986. Additional local chapters in other communities began forming in 1990. Conjoint membership with the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association (CGNA) was offered to the association in 1997. This relationship strengthened the ability to provide to the members local, provincial and national perspectives on health-related issues impacting older adults and those nurses who care for them.

In 1999, the Canadian Nursing Association (CNA) recognized Gerontological Nursing as a specialty and the first national certification exam was written. Examinations continue to be scheduled on a regular basis.

Changes were on the horizon. On October 23, 2003, the Health Professions Act was passed in the British Columbia legislature creating a common regulatory framework for the governance of health professions in the province. The College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia  (CRNBC) was established as the regulatory body for nursing. In August 2005, the RNABC, home of the BC nursing special interest groups, was dissolved. The specialty groups including GNGBC were allied with CRNBC under their quality assurance role.

However, the activities of political action and advocacy mandated in the association’s objectives conflicted with the mandate of the CRNBC. In 2008 the membership made the decision to become an independent freestanding association along with a name change in order to preserve the integrity of the objectives. Hence the organization became known as the Gerontological Nurses Association of BC (GNABC).

Providing education to its membership has been a strong mandate since the inception of the GNABC. Provincial conferences have been hosted yearly, rotating between GNABC chapters and allowing participants to network, hear new information and share their best practices. Several national conferences have been hosted on behalf of CGNA. Chapter meetings also provide opportunities for local members to receive continuing education, hear new ideas and respond to local issues affecting seniors, nurses, and their caregivers.

GNABC offers full membership to Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses within the province of BC. In order to facilitate competent and collaborative healthcare for the older adult, other health care professionals are encouraged to join GNABC as affiliate members. 

Significant Dates

1981  Vancouver group  formed 

1983  Victoria group formed

1986  became RNABC professional practice group  – the 13th professional practice group within RNABC

1989 – 1990 became a truly provincial group with local chapters forming in other communities

1997  became a CGNA conjoint group  

1999  membership participated in the first national certification exam

2008  GNGBC became a free standing specialty group and renamed the Gerontological Nurses’ Association of BC (GNABC)

Contributors:  Nan Martin, Judy Delaney, and Jessie Mantle (previous members of various committees locally, provincially, nationally).

Please note: In the absence of archival material the dates must be viewed as approximate but the information describes the overall evolution of the Association.

A Gerontological Nursing Icon, Jessie Mantle, Leaves a Legacy of Love and Learning!

Tribute prepared by Dr. Carla Wells (with grateful acknowledgment to Dr. Belinda Parke, for her editorial assistance and content contribution)

Jessie Mantle, a Founding Member of the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association (CGNA), died on September 2, 2021, at the age of 89 years, surrounded by those who loved her in life. Jessie was born in Chemainus, in southern Vancouver Island. She received her diploma in nursing from the Royal Jubilee Hospital School of Nursing in Victoria in 1950. In 1966, she obtained her BN from McGill University and later a MN in San Francisco. She studied in Seattle while on sabbatical from the University of Western Ontario, completing post-degree work in gerontological nursing.

In 1981, Jessie returned to Victoria to assume a joint appointment at the University of Victoria, with 50% of her time spent working as a clinical nurse specialist with the Juan de Fuca Hospital Society. Jessie’s work in gerontological nursing touched the lives of many students and older adults and their families through her many roles, especially as both professor and clinical nurse specialist.

In 1983, Jessie was one of the key organizers for the First National Conference on Gerontological Nursing. Over four hundred gerontological nurses gathered to attend this conference at the University of Victoria from June 7-10, 1983. Presenters at this first conference submitted papers from their presentations. These presentations were compiled into a two-volume proceedings, published by the University of Victoria in 1983. Along with her two contributions to Volume II of these proceedings, Jessie authored the Introduction entitled “The Future of Gerontological Nursing.” Her concluding comment (remember this was written in 1983) still rings true today. She wrote “Let me add that we must not only come to grips with our personal aging, but we must also address the aging process as it relates to our profession. As we go forth from here as gerontologists, my plea is that we think of how to foster healthy aging on every front – for our clients, for ourselves, and for our profession” (Mantle, 1983, p. 5). Her vision for gerontological nursing was legendary and far ahead of her time.

Jessie served as the second president of CGNA from 1985-87. Her leadership in the development of this nursing organization was exemplary.

I, like some 800 other participants, heard Jessie speak in Winnipeg in 1984 at the second national conference on gerontological nursing. It was my first-time meeting and hearing such a visionary gerontological nursing leader; I was truly inspired as a young practitioner. In my own journey towards future academic pursuits and later becoming a clinical nurse specialist, Jessie Mantle became not only a professional mentor and friend, but someone I aspired to emulate. I know that I was among many who held her in such high regard.

Even though Jessie retired in 1995, she stayed connected to CGNA, even attending the 2009 conference in Calgary. She was a Professor Emeritus at the University of Victoria, where she had worked from 1981-1995. At the University of Victoria, she had established the Jessie Mantle Fellowship in Nursing, specifically aimed at those who were interested in improving the care and lives of the older adults. Her contribution extended into the community, where, from 1999-2006, she was the Site Coordinator for the Out of the Rain Night Shelter and she also was Co-Chair of the Task Force on Parish Health, which led to the establishment of the Parish Nursing Project.

Jessie has been the recipient of a Canadian Nurses Foundation Scholarship (1968); the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award (1975); a World Health Fellowship (1975); and the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia Award of Excellence in Nursing Practice (1992) and the Canadian Nurses Association Centennial Award (2008). CGNA honored Jessie through bestowing her an Honorary Lifetime Membership in CGNA.

In addition to Jessie’s academic accomplishments, she achieved national recognition befitting of the leader and innovator that she was. Recognized among her peers for her vision and her tireless efforts to elevate issues regarding care of older adults, Jessie was respected for her opinions, knowledge, and expertise. She set the bar high when it came to standards of excellence for gerontological nursing practice and leadership. The impact of her work is still being felt to this day, through initiatives in nursing care of older adults, and through the work of the national organization of which she was a founding member. Her support of new practitioners and her excitement interacting with them was a joy to watch. Those nurses who knew Jessie were forever touched by her willingness to share her enthusiasm for nursing practice and knowledge with everyone. Jessie had a deep understanding of care systems and processes and embraced interdisciplinary collaboration. Her leadership style was always inclusive, bringing together administrative and interdisciplinary partners in her drive to make improvements in long-term care. This led to innovations in care delivery that are sustained today in many clinical settings across Canada.

When I reflect on Jessie and her illustrious career, I am struck by the thousands (or more) older adults whose lives have been touch and improved because those nurses who impacted their lives were in fact influenced and guided by Jessie Mantle. Like a ripple on a calm body of water, Jessie’s impact, her mentoring, and teachings have rippled far and wide, beyond the present and long into the future. She will surely be missed.

To those who knew and loved Jessie, we offer our sincere condolences. Thomas Campbell wrote: “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Jessie lives on in the hearts and minds of so many individuals – through those young and old – her legacy lives on.

Sources of Information for this Tribute:

Jessie Mantle - University of Victoria (uvic.ca). Jessie Mantle: Empowering Students and the Elderly Through Education.

Jessie Mantle Fellowship in Nursing - University of Victoria (uvic.ca)

The Canadian Gerontological Nurse: Newsletter of the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association, (1984). September. 1 (1).

University of Victoria (1983), First National Conference on Gerontological Nursing: Proceedings, V. I & II.

UVic nursing professors honoured - University of Victoria