Navigation Partnerships: Connecting, Accessing, Resourcing and Engaging (N-CARE) Older Persons, Families and Communities
An innovative patient-centered approach to improve the quality of life of older rural persons with advanced chronic illness has been developed to provide navigation services where specially trained volunteer navigators (in partnership with health care providers) advocate, facilitate community connections, coordinate access to services and resources, and promote active engagement of older adults with their community. This approach, developed by the research team led by Dr. Wendy Duggleby and Dr. Barb Pesut is called Navigation Partnerships: Connecting, Accessing, Resourcing, and Engaging (N-CARE).
This project is in partnership with Covenant Health Rural Care leaders and seniors to implement and evaluate N-CARE in Camrose and Killam Alberta. The project research questions are:
- What is the feasibility and acceptability of N-CARE with participants including community leaders?
- What are contextual factors that hinder or facilitate the implementation of N-CARE?
- What is the impact of N-CARE on increasing access to resources for older adults and their family caregivers; older adult and family satisfaction with N-CARE and quality of life, and volunteer and health care provider navigation self-efficacy and satisfaction?
- What is the cost of N-CARE?
- What is the best way to sustain and disseminate N-CARE within the Alberta health care system?
This project is led by Dr. Wendy Duggleby and Dr. Barb Pesut.
Project reports can be found on the Living with Hope website.