Journal Articles: August 2018
Brassolotto, J., Haney, C.-A., Hallstrom, L., & Scott, D. (2018). Continuing care in rural Alberta: A scoping review: Rural continuing care. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien.
Abstract
Across Canada the demand for continuing care services is increasing. However, little is known about the implications this has for rural communities. This scoping review identifies several key themes in the literature related to continuing care in Alberta. These include contextual factors, quality assurance and improvement, and workforce issues. We identify the ways in which rural dynamics are included in, or omitted from, this literature and recommend areas for future research on rural continuing care provision. Further research on residential care services in rural communities should work towards bridging the rural health, academic, and organizational literature on continuing care. This synthesis will help to position rurality as a determinant of health and to situate continuing care services in specific rural settings.
Johnson, S., Bacsu, J., Abeykoon, H., McIntosh, T., Jeffery, B., & Novik, N. (2018). No Place Like Home: A Systematic Review of Home Care for Older Adults in Canada. Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue Canadienne Du Vieillissement, 1–20.
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.