Dr. Carole Estabrooks is driven to improve the lives and care of older adults living in residential nursing homes, and her research is setting the Canadian standard on care for seniors. With the renewal of her Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Translation, she and her team will continue this vital work

The Canadian population is aging at a dramatic rate, and research into aging, seniors' care, and age-related health conditions is increasingly urgent. Older adults with Alzheimer's disease and other age-related dementias form the majority of nursing home residents. This population is often frail and vulnerable with complex needs, and the issue of how best to maintain their quality of life is a challenging one. 

While researchers routinely conduct and publish studies covering many aspects of health care—including long-term care—it can take decades for this research knowledge to be integrated into standard practice. 

Dr. Estabrooks' research examines how we can more effectively translate research knowledge into everyday care practice. Conducting studies in a number of acute care, home care and pediatric care settings, Dr. Estabrooks focuses the majority of her research on long-term care settings, emphasizing quality of life improvement for older adults in nursing homes. As the Scientific Director of the Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) program, she and her team focus on developing practical solutions for improving the quality of care and quality of life provided to the vulnerable population of nursing home residents, enriching the work life of their caregivers, and enhancing system efficiency.

Among other areas of work, the renewal of Dr. Estabrooks' Canada Research Chair will enable her and her team to advance their studies on how organizational context (the work environment) influences quality of care and quality of work-life, and the use of best practices, as well as, how the use of best practices affects resident and caregiver experience. She and her team will also continue their work on how knowledge translation and quality improvement methods intersect and how best to sustain and spread healthcare innovations – ultimately resulting in better care for our aging population. 

Congratulations to seven more years, Dr. Estabrooks!

Originally posted on July 3, 2019 by Faculty of Nursing News: Estabrooks driving better care for seniors with Canada Research Chair renewal