Contextualized Health Research Synthesis Program (CHRSP)
Community-based Service Models for Seniors
Background
"Aging in place" is a practice receiving renewed interest in Newfoundland & Labrador, among our seniors, their caregivers and their families, as well as the provincial government and Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). For most seniors, staying in their homes and communities is intrinsic to their independence and quality of life. From the perspective of the government and the RHAs, helping seniors stay in the community is a sign of successfully and sustainably meeting their needs and supporting their choices.
However, the province's population continues to age; at the same time, seniors are living longer than ever before. Medical and technological advances have made it possible for seniors with a range of disease complexity and disability to remain in their homes when before they might have been moved to an institution. Simultaneously, the effects of migration continue to be felt. As a result, the traditional support and care networks for seniors are being stretched and eroded. The Newfoundland & Labrador healthcare system has acknowledged that it will need new and creative strategies for seniors living at home.
The Department of Health & Community Services proposed a CHRSP project to address this issue, with a study on how community-based primary health teams could best support community-dwelling seniors and their caregivers. Such an approach could, possibly, make better use of existing services, as well as re-allocating resources more efficiently and effectively.
Project Team
Our project team leaders include:
- Dr. Howard Bergman (Team Leader), Professor of Medicine, Family Medicine and Oncology & the Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Professor of Geriatric Medicine at McGill University and the Jewish General Hospital. Dr. Bergman is an internationally established researcher in the fields of aging, chronic disease, frailty and health services. Among many other endeavours, he sat on the "Clair Commission", an independent Commission set up by the Quebec government to propose reforms to the health care system. His work in that Commission was instrumental in the recommendation on primary care reform and the creation of Family Medicine Groups. Dr. Bergman was then appointed by the Quebec Minister of Health to table a proposal for the Quebec Alzheimer Plan that would cover care from prevention to end of life, as well as a research agenda.
- Dr. Michel Grignon (Health Economist), Director, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University. Dr. Grignon has extensive experience at an international level in research projects and activities in the areas of health economics, health-related policies, health insurance and aging. His current research projects cover a broad range of topics, including how an aging society impacts health care expenditures in Canada and in France.
- Bruce Cooper (Health System Leader), Deputy Minister, Department of Health & Community Services, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador.
The rest of our team includes senior decision makers from the RHAs, local research and practice experts, and CHRSP staff:
- Dr. Stephen Bornstein, Director, NLCAHR
- Heather Brown, Vice President, Rural Health, Central Health
- Dr. Roger Butler, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
- Theresa Dyson, Regional Director of Community Health, Labrador Grenfell Health
- Alice Kennedy, Vice President for Regional Long Term Care and Community Support Services, Rehabilitation, Continuing and Palliative Care, Eastern Health
- Henry Kielley, Consultant, Office of Seniors & Aging, Department of Health & Community Services, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador
- Pablo Navarro (Project Coordinator), Research Officer, Newfoundland & Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
- Kelli O'Brien, Chief Operating Officer, Long Term Care and Rural Health, Western Health
- Stephanie O'Brien, Research Assistant II, Newfoundland & Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
- Dr. Carla Wells, Research Coordinator, Western Regional School of Nursing
Research Question
"What does the scientific literature tell us about the characteristics and the effectiveness of models of coordinated primary medical and community care, including health and social services, to support community-dwelling older persons with ADL/IADL disabilities and mild to complex chronic health conditions, including dementia, and their caregivers, in terms of health and economic outcomes for the clients, care givers and health system, in the context of Newfoundland & Labrador?"
Timeline
Expected completion date: Spring 2013