Author: Justine L Giosa, Maraget Saari, Paul Holyoke, John P Hirdes, George A Heckman

Publication Date: August 11, 2022

Description: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges within the Canadian healthcare system and reinforced the need for long-term care (LTC) reform to prioritise building an integrated continuum of services to meet the needs of older adults. Almost all Canadians want to live, age and receive care at home, yet funding for home and community-based care and support services is limited and integration with primary care and specialised geriatric services is sparse. Optimisation of existing home and community care services would equip the healthcare system to proactively meet the needs of older Canadians and enhance capacity within the hospital and residential care sectors to facilitate access and reduce wait times for those whose needs are best served in these settings. The aim of this study is to design a model of long-term ‘life care’ at home (LTlifeC model) to sustainably meet the needs of a greater number of community-dwelling older adults.

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Keywords: lived experience, COVID-19, long-term care, older adults