Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Canada's population is aging at a rapid rate and it is imperative that the health care system is able to meet the challenges associated with an increased older population. Additionally, many older adults wish to age in place, and for those who are aging in rural communities there can be geographic barriers to delivering health care in these areas. Therefore, innovative services and delivery methods are needed to provide care to this population. Telehealth is widely seen as a possible solution and a viable way to meet the health care needs of rural Canadians by providing virtual connections to health care professionals through videoconferencing technology. For seniors living in rural communities, a telehealth service known as telegeriatrics could support seniors to age in place by providing access to specialist geriatric care that would otherwise not be available. In northern British Columbia, the Northern Health Authority has offered this service to many of the rural communities within its jurisdiction. Although this service has been in place for a few years, little is known about the effectiveness of this service and care provider's perspectives and satisfaction with the service. My research project aims to better understand the effectiveness of the service and provider's satisfaction with the service so that I can make recommendations of improvement to Northern Health. Health care services that are efficiently meeting the needs of older adults can improve the aging experience for the whole population.