Toronto, ON, Nov. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At a time when there has never been a greater urgency to find better ways to maintain the health, well-being and safety of vulnerable seniors, newly released research from AdvantAge Ontario highlights a “made in Ontario” model that has been operating successfully in communities across the province for decades.
Campuses of care (also commonly referred to as seniors’ villages) are settings that “co-locate” a mix of community-based health and social supports, along with different types of housing and long-term care beds, in one location.
“Campuses offer a sustainable and innovative solution for a new generation of seniors’ care,” says Jane Sinclair, Chair of the AdvantAge Ontario Board of Directors. “They bring services, supports and care together in one setting, which is incredibly valuable. But more importantly they are vibrant, age-friendly communities that promote friendships, social inclusion, mutual support, and positive aging.”
AdvantAge Ontario initiated a multi-year, province-wide research study of campuses of care supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Health Systems Impact Fellowship and with in-kind contributions from the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto. The final report, recently published by BMC Geriatrics and titled, “Seniors’ Campus Continuums: Local Solutions for Broad Spectrum Seniors’ Care,” is the first academic research of its kind on campuses.
“This is tremendously exciting. Not-for-profit and municipal long-term care providers were early pioneers of the campus model, and this research has generated much-needed, evidence-based knowledge to guide the development of future campuses,” adds Lisa Levin, CEO of AdvantAge Ontario.
The Association’s research identified many important advantages offered by campuses, including built-in opportunities for providers and community partners working alongside each other to communicate, collaborate, and share expertise and resources. This promotes more integrated, person-centred care that avoids unnecessary long-term care placements and hospital admissions and ensures quicker discharges when hospitalization does occur.
Moreover, by building “critical mass,” campuses become attractive partners for municipalities, businesses, faith organizations, schools and universities to access new resources, create new opportunities for on-campus and off-campus communities, encourage volunteerism, and train new generations of care workers, clinicians, and researchers.
The Association has also released an Executive Brief based on this research, titled “Campuses of Care: Supporting People, Sustaining Care Systems in Ontario”, which is intended for policy-makers, providers and others who are planning to build, scale-up or spread campuses of care.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the terrible toll it has taken on long-term care adds greater urgency to discussions on how to keep residents safe and healthy and to ensure that we have viable options for the vast majority of Ontario’s seniors who wish to continue to live as independently as possible for as long as possible,” says Levin. “Campuses are uniquely equipped not only to respond but also to lead the creation of new and innovative approaches to care that support people and sustain health care systems.”
AdvantAge Ontario has been the trusted voice for senior care for 100 years and is the only provincial association representing the full spectrum of the senior care continuum. Our more than 400 members are located across the province and include not-for-profit, charitable, and municipal long-term care homes, seniors’ housing, assisted living in supportive housing and community service agencies.
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