RNAO Care Transitions Best Practice

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) has recently released a Care Transitions Best Practice Guide intended to guide interdisciplinary teams deliver the best care while transitioning patients (whether in acute care, long-term care or within the community).  Care transitions are "a set of actions designed to ensure the safe and effective coordination and continuity of care as clients experience a change in health status, care needs, health-care providers or location (within, between or across settings)".

Care transitions should be comprehensive, and should establish the logistical arrangements of moving in addition to the detailed care of the patient.

To read the full BPG and all its recommendations for practice, please visit http://bit.ly/1sQaaRr.

Environment Scan on Canadian Seniors’ Transitions to Special Care Facilities

Released by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the research report Environment Scan on Canadian Seniors' Transitions to Special Care Facilities provides a comprehensive picture on how and why Canadian seniors move to long-term care facilities.  To write the report, CMHC conducted a thorough literature review of best available evidence and compiled and analyzed Statistics Canada data on senior's housing transitions.

Some key points from their findings:

·         Approximately 7.9% of Canadian seniors live in a special care facility

·         Quebec had the largest proportion of seniors living a long-term care facility at 9%

·         Health concerns is the most common reason why a senior moves to a special care facility

·         The move from a private dwelling to a special care facility often takes place between the age of 80-85

·         There are three kinds of moves seniors will often make

o   The first move is undertaken right after retirement and is primarily for amenity or lifestyle reasons

o   The second move is done to be near a primary caregiver when the senior becomes moderately disabled

o   The third move is to an institution when a senior's needs are too much for the caregiver to handle