Goal
The primary goal of this study was to develop a web-based application, MedReviewRx, to produce medication deprescribing reports that could be easily implemented into York Care Centre and used regularly by healthcare providers.
What is MedReviewRx?
Many older adults are taking medication that may be causing them harm or are no longer needed. Medications are often needed to treat health conditions however, as people age, the effect of certain medication changes. Taking a high number of medications, or taking certain medication increases the risk of harm. MedSafer is a computer program to help improve medication use in older adults and has been used in hospitals to identify opportunities to reduce or stop medications associated with an increased risk of harm, or little value.
MedReviewRx was designed to cross reference medication information from long-term care resident charts with drug information from MedSafer to produce a deprescribing report for healthcare providers to review. The report highlights any medications that could potentially cause harm, as well as medications that could be tapered or stopped.
Outcomes
Overall perceptions of the deprescribing reports produced by MedReviewRx at York Care Centre were positive. Usability testing identified many opportunities for improving and refining the application. Further development to improve product features and functionality, and testing in different nursing home settings is required prior to widespread adoption.
Improving immunization rates among seniors using the CANImmunize digital application
Goal
The goal of this project is to improve immunization rates in assisted and independent living facilities by using CANImmunize.
What is CANImmunize?
CANImmunize is an easy-to-use digital vaccine tracking system to help older adults, their families, and care homes easily keep track of vaccinations. CIRA is piloting CANImmunize, Canada’s digital immunization tracking system, to track vaccinations in assisted and independent living facilities at York Care Centre and the greater Fredericton area.
CANImmunize is a technology company specializing in immunization software. It developed the CANImmunize platform, a pan-Canadian digital immunization tracking system, that helps Canadians keep track of their vaccinations with a mobile app and web portal. Their 'Clinic Flow' allows hospitals, seniors’ residences, and health care organizations to seamlessly run digital vaccination clinics. The team offers digital solutions to businesses, health care organizations, and governments for vaccinations and tracking, and is preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Anticipated Outcomes
We hope this project will give a sense of what support older adults and their caregivers need to maintain their vaccination records and how complete those records are. We are also hoping to establish the feasibility of staff managing immunization records of residents and tenants in these facilities.
This project is funded by the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project. The Healthy Seniors Pilot Project is a $75 million three year agreement between the Government of New Brunswick and the Public Health Agency of Canada, jointly led by the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development and the Department of Health through the Aging Secretariat.
Learn More About CANImmunize
PassiveAware for Proactive Care
Goal
Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) are increasing in incidence globally. According to Statistics Canada, about 76,000 Canadians are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease each year. Additionally, New Brunswick’s population is aging at an unprecedented rate; by 2041, seniors are projected to comprise nearly a quarter of the Canadian population (Elections Canada, 2020). As our population ages, there is a clear need for more comprehensive and accessible resources specific to older adults and their caregivers. The goal of this project is to enable individuals experiencing memory loss or living with ADRD to more safely and comfortably age in place in their home and community, and to reduce feelings of stress and burden for their caregivers through the use of passive monitoring technology (PassiveAware). Access to advanced warning systems may contribute to more efficient care delivery, avoidance of crisis situations, assist in future care planning, and delay the older adults’ transition to long-term care.
What is PassiveAware Technology?
PassiveAware is a form of assistive technology that passively monitors rather than actively monitoring through devices such as cameras or audio recording. Data will be collected using non-intrusive sensor tags associated with everyday objects. Each tag will be installed on different objects to indirectly measure activities of daily living (e.g. the opening of the refrigerator door, front door, bathroom door, medicine cabinet). Caregivers will have access to a mobile and web version of PassiveAware that provides notifications for temperature, humidity, and movement from each tag. Caregivers will also receive a weekly summary of the sensor information associated with the activities of daily living. For example, if a tag was installed on a medicine cabinet, the caregiver will be able to see if medication is being accessed at appropriate times and frequency.
Anticipated Outcomes
It is anticipated that the use of PassiveAware monitoring technology will improve the caregiving experience by reducing feelings of stress and burden. Notifications about changes in behaviour could be indicative of potential crisis situations or disease progression, and provide the caregiver with more consistent information about the person they are caring for. Ultimately, it is expected that PassiveAware will enable proactive planning and reduce the number of crisis situations, allowing the older adult to age comfortably and safely in their own home and community.
A variety of measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention and platform, including self report questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, as well as quantitative data from the sensors.
This project is funded by the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project. The Healthy Seniors Pilot Project is a $75 million three year agreement between the Government of New Brunswick and the Public Health Agency of Canada, jointly led by the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development and the Department of Health through the Aging Secretariat.
The Palliative Approach to Care
Goal
The overall goals of our project are to improve the experience of staff in applying a palliative approach to care, and to improve the care experience and outcomes of older adults with serious illnesses and their families.
What is the Palliative Approach to Care?
Palliative Care has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment, and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual."
The palliative approach encompasses life-limiting illnesses and end-of-life care. It emphasizes the importance of understanding what is most important to patients and their families so they can prepare and benefit from palliative care earlier and for a longer period of time.
The Project
We will investigate the impact of a Palliative Care Education Program at York Care Centre using online training modules combined with staff mentorship. A series of 12 online modules will be deployed each month, spanning several topics. There will also be 5 on-site staff mentors identified at York Care Centre. The mentors will connect with a palliative expert at Victoria Hospice and will help the staff at York Care Centre remain engaged with the project and regularly participate in palliative discussions.
Anticipated Outcomes
We will collect questionnaires from staff to measure knowledge and skills gained from the online modules. We will also look at the care experiences as perceived by family members of residents. Care notes and health data from randomly selected residents will be used to detect changes in emergency visits, admissions to hospital, and location of death. By implementing the staff education program, we will promote the advancement of a palliative approach and ultimately improve the care experiences and outcomes for residents and their families.
Funding
This project is funded by the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project. The Healthy Seniors Pilot Project is a $75 million three year agreement between the Government of New Brunswick and the Public Health Agency of Canada, jointly led by the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development and the Department of Health through the Aging Secretariat.
Learn more about our partner, Victoria Hospice.
Reconnecting with GENIE
Goal
The overall goal of this study is to implement and evaluate the impact of GENIE® on several psychosocial and health outcomes in older adults living in rural long-term care facilities in New Brunswick. The project is titled "Reconnecting with GENIE: Evaluating the Impact of a Telecommunications Portal on Social Isolation Experienced by Older Adults Living in Long-term Care in New Brunswick".
What is GENIE®?
GENIE is a standalone unit that includes individualized messaging platforms, media entertainment centers, and a community bulletin board, all designed to help older adults living in long-term care residences to maintain social connections with their families and community.
GENIE was originally developed in conjunction with Ambient Activity Technologies, the Centre for Innovation in Research and Aging, and York Care Centre in 2019. After a round of user-testing, it saw very promising results. This study will build upon those results by implementing GENIE on a provincial scale.
Anticipated Outcomes
We anticipate there will be significant improvements in feelings of social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness among older adults living in long-term care who use GENIE. We also anticipate seeing signs of improved (or slower declining) health outcome metrics since social isolation and depressive symptoms have been linked to negative health outcomes.
Outcomes among family members and long-term care staff who use GENIE may also be present. We anticipate that family members will feel less stress and worry about their loved-one living in long-term care because they will be able to have more independent contact with them. GENIE may also lessen the burden on overworked LTC staff by allowing older adults and family members to communicate directly.
Funding
This project is funded by the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project. The Healthy Seniors Pilot Project is a $75 million three-year agreement between the Government of New Brunswick and the Public Health Agency of Canada, jointly led by the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development and the Department of Health through the Aging Secretariat.
Learn more about Ambient Activity
2RaceWithMe - Promoting Physical Activity Using Augmented Reality Experiences
Goal
As part of a rapidly aging population, residents in Long-Term Care (LTC) settings often have increasingly complex care needs, including loss of physical function and reduced cognitive stimulation. The use of Augmented Reality Interventions can increase activation and have a beneficial impact on physical functioning, cognitive functioning, levels of depression, and quality of life of residents. The goal of this project is evaluate the effectiveness of a device designed to promote increased physical activity levels of residents living at York Care Centre.
What is Augmented Reality?
This study, in collaboration with researchers from the Université de Moncton and the University of Toronto, will evaluate the effectiveness of the device, 2RaceWithMe. This device, developed by Centivizer Inc., a University of Toronto spinoff company, simulates biking at scenic sites all over the world. 2RaceWithMe consists of a pedal exerciser and a library of travel videos. The videos are displayed on a TV screen while residents use the hand and/or foot pedals to start and operate the device. Residents must keep pedaling to watch the videos and ‘travel’ around their chosen destination.
Anticipated Outcomes
It is anticipated that use of this device will promote increased physical activity, provide residents with a pleasurable experience, and enhance cognitive stimulation. A variety of measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention, including physical metrics and cognitive measures.
This project is funded by the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project. The Healthy Seniors Pilot Project is a $75 million three year agreement between the Government of New Brunswick and the Public Health Agency of Canada, jointly led by the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development and the Department of Health through the Aging Secretariat.