Grant: Team Grant: Late Life Issues - LOI

Our overarching objective is to improve older Canadians' health and strengthen the health care system by accelerating patient-centred knowledge translation (KT) to better inform health decision making and facilitate patient and caregiver empowerment. To meet this objective, we have created a cohesive, collaboration involving patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians and policy makers who are recognised internationally as leaders in KT science, practice, and capacity building. We will build on our foundational work to develop a unique, world-class integrated KT (iKT) Laboratory across Ontario and Alberta to support transformative research to improve the health and wellness of older Canadians with 2 or more chronic diseases by 1) identifying priorities for patient-centred KT research from stakeholders (patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers) while advancing the science of patient engagement in research; 2) undertaking novel research about how best to accelerate patient-centred KT for patients with 2 or more chronic diseases across the care continuum and in both rural and urban settings; 3) working with partners, including industry, to sustain KT strategies; and 4) creating innovative career paths for highly qualified personnel in the science (discovery) and practice (application) of KT. We will use an iKT approach whereby research users and researchers jointly develop the research questions, complete the studies and implement the results. Involvement of older patients with comorbidities and their caregivers is essential to transform health care, will ensure that their priorities drive health solutions, and accelerate conduct and uptake of effective solutions.