Older Adults’ Views on the Repositioning of Primary and Community Care

• Published in: Canadian journal on aging Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 114 - 126
• Main Authors: Hulko, Wendy, Mirza, Noeman, Seeley, Lori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Aged; Aging; Caregivers; Chronic illnesses; Community health care; Delivery of Health Care; Female; Focus groups; Gerontology; Health services; Home Care Services; Home health care; Humans; Independent Living; Integrated delivery systems; Minority & ethnic groups; Older people; Optimism; Population; Primary care; Qualitative research; Rural areas; Rural communities; Rural health care; Rural Population; Canada; health care redesign; restructuration des soins de santé; perspectives des utilisateurs de services; rural; maladie chronique complexe; service-user views; complex chronic disease; aging; vieillissement
• ISSN: 0714-9808; 1710-1107
• DOI: 10.1017/S0714980819000540

Older adults are rarely consulted on health care restructuring. To address this gap, our study explored older adults’ views on “repositioning”, a restructuring initiative to support independent living for older adults with complex chronic disease (CCD). We collected and analysed data from 83 older adults living in one small city and nine rural small towns where “repositioning” of primary and community care was occurring. Average participant age was 75 years; 56 (67%) were women, 44 (53%) had CCD, and 20 (24%) identified as Indigenous or South Asian. The four themes were: unfamiliarity with repositioning; optimism versus skepticism; improving primary and community care (through better home care, improved transportation, and more doctors); and, playing an active role to effect change. For repositioning to be successful, diverse service users must be fully included; rural-dwelling older adults’ priorities for primary and community care need to be addressed, rather than using a “cookie-cutter” approach.