Grant: Project Grant

Canada has an aging population and there is a growing demand for home care services. At the same time, changes in home care practice are emerging. Reports of early patient discharge from hospital to home and more acute-like patients at home mean that home care providers cannot always meet the demands of chronically ill patients in a timely manner. Research is beginning to show that home care providers are under pressure to limit their services, often not providing the amount and kind of care that home care clients need. The overall purpose of our study is to document how publicly-funded home care services are currently provided in 4 Canadian cities and to determine how these services align with international best practices in home care service delivery. The study includes two components. Component 1 involves doing a systematic review of the literature to understand international best practices in home care service delivery. Component 2 involves observing home care practice in 4 Canadian cites involving interviews and repeated observations with home care providers and interviews with key people working in home care to get a clear picture of the current state of home care practice in Canada. The anticipated outcome is recommendations to inform the development of home care services that will promote equitable, consistent, and sustainable home care services to meet the needs of an aging population in Canada.