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No Place Like Home: A Systematic Review of Home Care for Older Adults in Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2018

Shanthi Johnson ,
Juanita Bacsu ,
Hasanthi Abeykoon ,
Tom McIntosh ,
Bonnie Jeffery  and
Nuelle Novik
Shanthi Johnson*
Affiliation:
Saskatchewan Population Health & Evaluation Research Unit, Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Juanita Bacsu
Affiliation:
Saskatchewan Population Health & Evaluation Research Unit, Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan
Hasanthi Abeykoon
Affiliation:
Saskatchewan Population Health & Evaluation Research Unit, Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan
Tom McIntosh
Affiliation:
Saskatchewan Population Health & Evaluation Research Unit, Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Regina
Bonnie Jeffery
Affiliation:
Saskatchewan Population Health & Evaluation Research Unit, Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina
Nuelle Novik
Affiliation:
Saskatchewan Population Health & Evaluation Research Unit, Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina
*
*La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Shanthi Johnson, PhD, RD, FDC, FACSM, FGSA School of Public Health Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit 3-387 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy University of Alberta 11405 – 87 Ave Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9 <[email protected]>
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Abstract

Given Canada’s aging population, the demand for home care is expected to increase significantly. To date, little is known about home care for older adults in Canada such as characteristics of home care recipients, gaps in services, or interventions designed to support home care client needs. Consequently, we conducted a systematic review of seven electronic databases for the years 2000–2016 to examine the current knowledge of home care services for Canada’s older adults. This synthesis examined four main themes in the literature: older adult client-level predictors; unmet care needs; interventions; and issues and challenges in home care. This review found significant knowledge gaps on home care for older adults across the country, as over half of the studies were focused primarily in Ontario. Although promising strategies were evident, more research and evaluation of interventions, and outcomes are required to effectively support Canada’s home care system now and over time.

Résumé

Les prévisions liées au vieillissement de la population canadienne impliquent que la demande en soins à domicile augmentera significativement. À ce jour, peu d’études ont été menées au Canada sur les soins à domicile pour les personnes âgées, notamment sur les caractéristiques des bénéficiaires de soins à domicile, les lacunes dans les services, ou les interventions permettant de répondre aux besoins des clients en matière de soins à domicile. Une revue systématique de sept bases de données électroniques a été réalisée pour les années 2000-2016 afin d’examiner les connaissances actuelles dans le domaine des soins à domicile pour les personnes âgées au Canada. Cette synthèse était centrée sur quatre principaux thèmes retrouvés dans la littérature : les prédicteurs au niveau de la personne âgée, les besoins de soins non comblés, les interventions, les enjeux et les défis dans les soins à domicile. Cette revue a mis en évidence plusieurs lacunes dans les connaissances liées aux soins à domicile pour les personnes âgées au Canada, considérant que plus de la moitié des études étaient centrées sur le contexte ontarien. Bien que des stratégies prometteuses aient été mises en évidence, davantage de recherche et d’évaluation des interventions et des résultats sont requises pour appuyer efficacement le système de soins à domicile au Canada, à court et à long terme.

Keywords

aginghome caresystematic reviewolder adultsvieillissementsoins à domicilevieillissementrevue systématiquepersonnes âgées
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 37 , Issue 4 , December 2018 , pp. 400 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2018 

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