We have submitted 3 grant applications to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. We should hear about each of them in mid July. Summaries for each are below.

Improving Nursing Home Care through Feedback On PerfoRMance Data (INFORM)

Carole Estabrooks, Principal Investigator

With our many successes in keeping seniors healthier and longer in the community, residents are now admitted to nursing homes later in their decline, having more complex needs and in a much greater state of vulnerability. This project will evaluate different strategies to get research findings back to managers in the system in a timely and effective way so that they result in improvements in quality of care. We will be testing various feedback packages to determine the strategy that is most effective at fostering improvements and is also cost-effective. The project will be carried out in nursing homes in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba. The information developed will contribute to better care for Canadian seniors who spend their final years in a nursing home.

Safer Care for Older Persons (in residential) Environments (SCOPE)

Adrian Wagg, Principal Investigator

Almost one-half of Canadians in nursing homes are frail, over 80 years of age, managing with the effects of multiple diseases and many of them have a diagnosis of dementia. People in nursing homes are very dependent upon their caregivers and this leads to increased staff workload and unfortunately, results in a lower quality of care. Working life for those caregivers is often poor. There continues to be concern about the quality of care in nursing homes. National and international reports have repeatedly highlighted this problem. As Canadians live longer and growing numbers survive into very late life, the need for high quality nursing home care for the elderly will increase dramatically. The Safer Care for Older Persons (in residential) Environments (SCOPE) study will teach healthcare aides, the front line staff who provide the majority of direct care the skills necessary to improve care quality  through the use of best practices and enhanced team work. SCOPE actively engages nursing home leaders to support this work.

SUSTAINABILITY, SUSTAINMENT AND SPREAD STUDY (SSASSy): An Exploratory Study of Factors that Contribute to the Sustainability, Sustainment & Spread of a Complex Quality Improvement Intervention in Canadian Nursing Home

Whitney Berta, Principal Investigator

Once it is made, sustaining change in organizations – including health services organizations – is an acknowledged problem. There is a tendency for individuals to revert to their old behaviours, processes, and “ways of doing” and to abandon new ways of working with which they are less familiar and comfortable.  It is important, therefore, to understand what factors promote sustained change, and prevent relapse.   This is particularly important in health services organizations where interventions  (change initiatives) are put in place that have the potential to significantly improve health care, the delivery of care, and health outcomes – even the quality of life of care staff.  In this study, we will explore the factors that influence the sustainability of practice change among health care aides providing care to older Canadians residing in long term care homes/nursing homes.