More and more emphasis is placed on supporting older adults to live at home for as long as possible.Yet, there are barriers on the availability of home care supports and services and client eligibility which affects access and utilization. Provincial and jurisdictional differences also mean that depending on where a senior lives, the level of support and care that they receive can vary greatly. We currently have little evidence-informed knowledge on approaches to care, which encompass how supports and services are provided and accessed and how they are experienced over time with consequences for client and system outcomes.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) recently awarded a
team from Nova Scotia and Manitoba more than $860,000 to examine the home care pathways of older adult clients with chronic and long-term conditions. This project, titled “How Approaches to Care Shape Pathways of Older Adult Homecare Clients,” is co-led by Dr. Janice Keefe from Mount Saint Vincent University, Susan Stevens, Senior Director, Continuing Care, NSHA and Dr. Michelle Lobchuk from the University of Manitoba. The project is being done in partnership with Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Northwood Homecare Inc. and other stakeholders.
The goal of the project is to better understand how policy, practice and decision-making shape clients’ journeys through the home care system. The research will explore how the individual experience of clients and their caregivers is shaped by different models of care. The evidence gathered from the project will support better understanding of older adult home care pathways, project home care utilization, inform strategic planning and decision making, and support changes in care practice.
