This month's featured article:
This scoping review is the first to focus specifically on older immigrants’ experience of primary health care in Canada. The authors identify numerous barriers that limit health care usage in the areas of primary health care, health promotion and cancer screening, and mental health services. Some of the overarching obstacles keeping older immigrants from accessing services include health literacy, cultural differences, spatial access and structural circumstances. This article highlights Canada’s responsibility to better support a population that is vulnerable due to their resettlement and discusses specific policy implications.
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Previous featured articles:
September 2019
Through this research, the authors aim to understand older adults experiences in transitioning from the emergency room back to the community. This study summarizes how factors such as patient understanding, caregiver support and follow through on recommendations influence an older adults experience in transitioning from the hospital to home. Overall, there was a significant reduction in patient’s understanding of the information provided in the emergency department from the time of the visit, to the follow-up interview. Practice modifications such as using both written and verbal instructions are presented as ways to promote a greater senior-friendly emergency department.
August 2019
In this study, Genoe, Liechty, and Marston had participants document their retirement experiences and processes in a multi-author online blog, capturing their emotions and mindsets in real time. The findings highlight three distinct phases of retirement as well as several different ways that the most recent generation of retirees are transitioning from full time employment. Although the path to retirement, and what retirement means, is unique to each individual, the general findings of this study suggest that baby boomers look forward to their departure from the workforce.
July 2019
This article reports on the experience of first-time homelessness from the unique perspective of older adults themselves. Homelessness was found to evoke initial reactions of shock, sadness, frustration and relief, all of which have been associated with early steps to healing while overcoming grief. However, for homeless older adults, their ability to process their grief is inhibited by social stigma and the sense of dependency that is associated with homelessness. To cope with stigmatization, many chose not to self-identify as homeless and instead live in a state of denial that further stalls the grieving process. This article highlights the need for policies and programs to validate homelessness as a form of grief, and provide resources to help older adults rebuild a positive self-image.
June 2019
Through this research, the authors aim to fill a gap by exploring the barriers and facilitators to dementia care based on the experiences of family physicians practicing in rural Alberta. Findings demonstrate the importance of geography and community resources, as well as physician capabilities, opportunities and motivations in the management of older adults with dementia. Despite the Canadian focus, these challenges are consistent in rural health care globally, and must be resolved to improve quality of care for those living with dementia in these settings.
May 2019
This article describes the justification, theoretical framework, and process of developing the first multilevel approach to deprescribing across Canada. The Canadian Deprescribing Network (CaDeN) aims to decrease the rate of over-prescribing and inappropriate prescribing that occurs in older adults. As deprescribing is a complex problem, the CaDeN seeks to engage key stakeholders across multiple disciplines with the most significant being patients and caregivers. With a goal of reducing unnecessary medication among older adults by 50 percent by 2020, the network has a challenging road ahead.
April 2019
The authors of this pilot study report on the effectiveness of, and nurses’ perspectives on the HELPER fall detection device. Installed in each hospital room, HELPER is a nonintrusive device that uses a camera to take a continuous stream of images. When a fall is detected, the patient’s nurse receives a smartphone alert message indicating the room number where the fall has occurred. The results of this research provide valuable insight into the use of technology in a real environment and support the development and current movement of technology to improve patient care.
March 2019
This article follows a previous publication entitled “Who is looking after mom and dad? Unregulated workers in Canadian long-term care homes”, published in The Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement in December 2014 (online) and March 2015 (in print). This initial article reported the first demographic profile of care aides in Western Canada through the Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) longitudinal research program (2007-2022) in applied health services. Results showed that care aides received limited training or standards for minimum education, with significant variation across provinces and that they worked in environments that contribute to burnout. Four years later, follow up results show little improvement or worsening of care aide health and quality of work life.
February 2019
This systematic review of 50 studies identifies how existing literature characterizes home care recipients, challenges in the home care system, and strategies that support home care services. Home care has been recognized as a national priority, however results show significant gaps in our understanding of home care service organization, delivery and experiences in many Canadian jurisdictions and for specific populations such as older Indigenous adults, immigrants and refugees. This study and future research are important contributors to new and innovative strategies that can support our national home care system and its clients moving forward.
January 2019
This article has attracted significant interest, and been identified by many as “an important read,” since it was first published online by Cambridge University Press in January 2018. Wilson, Kortes-Miller and Stinchcombe set out to fill the gap in LGBT aging and end-of-life research in this Ontario-based qualitative study. Their results underscore the need to consider sexual orientation, gender identity and the unique concerns of LGBT individuals in older adulthood and at the end-of-life. This paper is a significant step in understanding the experiences of older LGBT adults and their caregivers within the Ontario health care system, while also pointing to a variety of directions for future research to ensure inclusive and responsive health systems that facilitate good end-of-life experiences.