Continuing Care
lberta's continuing care system provides Albertans with the health, personal care and accommodation services they need to support their independence and quality of life. Source: Alberta Health Continuing Care
Home Care Program services include: assessment, case management, professional nursing, rehabilitation therapy, social work and personal care. Services are based on assessed unmet need for short term or long-term care, and include palliative or end-of-life care. Home care also provides assessments for applications to continuing care centres, designated assisted living, and facility respite care. Services are available for all ages with health-related problems that can be managed in a community setting.
The primary housing option for persons who are able to live independently with minimal support services. Home living is the housing option for persons who choose to and who are able to maintain active, healthy, independent living while remaining in their home as long as possible. In order to support continued independent living, basic Home Care services may be provided and/or the individual can purchase services from another agency.
A home-like setting where people can maintain control over their lives while also receiving the support they need. The buildings are specifically designed with common areas and features to allow individuals to "age in place". Building features include private space and a safe, secure and barrier-free environment. Supportive living promotes residents' independence and aging in place through the provision of services such as 24-hour monitoring, emergency response, security, meals, housekeeping and life-enrichment activities. Publicly-funded personal care and health services are provided to supportive living residents based on assessed unmet needs.
Assisted Living (SL3) option where AHS controls access to a specific number of beds according to a contractual agreement between AHS and the operator. Twenty-four hour on-site scheduled and unscheduled personal care and support services are provided by Health Care Aides. Professional health services including Registered Nurse services with 24 hour on-call availability, case management and other consultative services are provided through AHS.
Enhanced Assisted Living (SL4) option where AHS controls access to a specific number of beds according to a contractual agreement between AHS and the operator. Twenty-four hour on-site scheduled and unscheduled professional and personal care and support services are provided by Licensed Practical Nurses and Health Care Aides. Professional health services including Registered Nurse services with 24 hour on-call availability, case management and other consultative services are provided through AHS.
Enhanced Assisted Living Dementia (SL4-D) option provides services for individuals with moderate dementia that will progress to later stages or other forms of cognitive impairment who require a secure therapeutic environment.
A purpose-built congregate care option for individuals with complex, unpredictable medical needs who require 24 hour on-site Registered Nurse assessment and/or treatment. In addition, professional services may be provided by Licensed Practical Nurses and 24 hour on-site unscheduled and scheduled personal care and support are provided by Health Care Aides. Case management, Registered Nursing, Rehabilitation Therapy and other consultative services are provided on-site. Long-term care facilities include "nursing homes" under the Nursing Homes Act and "auxiliary hospitals" under the Hospitals Act.
For more information on the three streams of continuing care (home living, supportive living, and long term care) go to Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services
Continuing care is not just about seniors. It also includes disabled non-seniors who require health care and personal care services on an on-going basis. Approximately 8% of the continuing care clients are less than 65 years of age.
In 2008 there were 14,500 seniors and persons with disabilities in Alberta living in long-term care facilities at any one time. Additionally, there were more patients in hospital beds awaiting transfer to long-term care beds. This number varied throughout the province.
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Seniors (aged 65+) do make up the majority of the continuing care system and both the number of seniors and the percentage of seniors in the population are increasing. In 2009 there were 385,241 seniors in Alberta; in 2036 it is expected that there will be than a million seniors in Alberta. Seniors as a percentage of the population will increase from 10% to 21.6% during this time period. As the population ages, there will be greater need for continuing care services.
In December of 2008 the Alberta Government released the Continuing Care Strategy - Aging in the Right Place. The report identifies a strategy 'intended to provide new ways of delivering services, offering more choice to Albertans in their homes and communities'. The emphasis of the strategy is to provide more services in the home and the community and to decrease emphasis on facility-based programming.
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In September of 2010 the Government of Alberta released A Profile of Alberta Seniors. This document highlights some additional demographic characteristics of seniors in Alberta.
In December 2017, the Alberta Government released the Alberta Dementia Strategy and Action Plan. This document identifies the strategies that the government hopes will "result in a society that is better prepared to take steps to reduce the risk of dementia and support fellow Albertans living with dementia now and in the years to come".
We are frequently asked "How do I get my loved one home care/supportive living/long term care?" Alberta Health Services accesses individuals to determine if they need care and, if they do, what level of care is necessary.
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To access an Alberta Health Services Case Manager and to arrange for an assessment, contact the Health Link at 811.
We are frequently asked "How do I get my loved one home care/supportive living/long term care?" Alberta Health Services accesses individuals to determine if they need care and, if they do, what level of care is necessary.
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To access an Alberta Health Services Case Manager and to arrange for an assessment, contact the Health Link at 811.
Starting in 2013/14 with the funding from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, we have been able to offer researchers seed funding to address priority issues identified through the Community Needs Driven Research Network. In 2013/14 we funded an evaluation of the implementation of learning circles in continuing care, and an analysis of the results of the first Responsive Behaviours Symposium (held November 2013).
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In 2014/15 and 2015/16 we were able to continue funding special projects through the continued funding of the Community Needs Driven Research Network by Alberta Health. These were selected through an open call for proposals from ICCER members.
Project Leads - Dr. Sharla King, University of Alberta and Dr. Vincella Thompson, Keyano College. An Experiential Learning Curriculum to Support the Care of Aboriginal Populations in Continuing Care in Remote Northern Communities
Project Leads - Steven Friesen, Bethany Care Society and Dr. Sharla King, University of Alberta. Supporting Sustainability of Learning Circles in Continuing Care
Project Lead - Dr. Doris Milke, CapitalCare. Determining Factors in the Care Environment that Influence the Effectiveness of Recreation Activities for Residents with Dementia and then Improving those Activities.
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Project Leads - Dr. Sherry Dahlke and Dr. Sarah Stahlke, University of Alberta. Exploring the influence of teamwork on recruitment and retention. Interim results presented in June 2016 at the Optimizing Healthcare Quality Teamwork in Education, Research, and Practice conference.
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Project Lead - Dr. Megan Strickfaden, University of Alberta. Towards an alternative material culture of dementia care: Understanding the supports and restrictions in Alberta's policies and regulations.
Project Lead - Nora McLachlan, Bow Valley College. A literature review and synthesis to support Connecting with people with dementia: A knowledge translation project.
Project Leads - Dr. Sharla King, University of Alberta and Dr. Vincella Thompson, Keyano College: Developing an Educational Model to Support the Care of Aboriginal Populations in Continuing Care in Remote Northern Communities.
Project Lead - Dr. Wendy Duggleby, University of Alberta: Metasysnthesis study of Transitions Experienced by Family Caregivers of Persons at the End of Life. Final report
Project Lead - Dr. Lorraine Venturato, University of Calgary: Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk: Scoping Cultural Awareness Training Options for Staff Working with Older Canadians in Continuing Care.
Project Leads - Jane Tse, Wing Kei and Aruna Mitra, Bethany Care Society: A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Electronic versus Paper-Based Documentation. Final report
Project Leads: Don McLeod, Bethany Care Society, and Dr. Gail Barrington, Barrington Research Group Inc. Evaluation of the Learning Circle Pilot Project at Bethany Care Society. For more information see Learning Circles Study tab. Final report of pilot project.
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Project Lead: Dr. Suzette Bremault-Phillips, University of Alberta. Challenging/Responsive Behaviours - Developing an Alberta Action Plan. For more information see Behavioural Supports Alberta tab. Final report of the secondary analysis of the Symposium results.