Grant: Summer Program in Aging

The landscape of aging research in Canada is evolving rapidly. Canadians are getting older, living longer, and require more specialized care. The devastating effects of COVID-19 on the long-term care sector has unlocked great interest in investing in changes of our care of the elderly. There is already a strong body of evidence-based research describing what good quality care looks like, but we lack a nuanced understanding of how to change our existing system to improve care quality. With my doctoral research, I will develop a practical understanding of how to increase the quality of care and quality of life for our aging Canadians in long-term care (LTC) using realist methods. Answering specific context-dependent questions (what worked, for whom, under what circumstances, and why) characteristic of realist methods and working closely with knowledge-user partners (including healthcare leaders, healthcare staff, residents, and family members) will be essential to increasing the uptake, application, and sustainability of outcomes for this study. Attending the SPA 2023 training program will better prepare me for my doctoral research by expanding my network of scholars for idea-sharing and increased exposure to research innovation in aging, which will contribute to the development of my growing program of research. These cumulative experiences will help me engage more with Implementation Science teams, which will in turn help me learn more about innovation uptake and sustainability. My ultimate goal is to have an academic skills set to implement and evaluate healthcare innovations across diverse sectors and patient populations.