Best of the Season from the Seniors Health Innovations Hub (SHIH)

 Year in Review

2024 was a busy year for the Seniors Health Innovations Hub (SHIH). Our teams focused on innovative solutions to improve the lives of older adults in central Ottawa:

• Primary Care Team: Continued promoting an innovative primary care solution for older adults
• Home Care and Community Support Services Team: Formed a working group, hosted an educational event and planned future events.
• Housing Team: Developed an ambitious plan to respond to the federal government’s offer of land in Confederation Heights, engaging a diverse range of allies.
• Technology Team: Furthered collaborations with their partners at Carleton University and Bruyère Research Institute

In June, Margaret Tansey, a retired healthcare executive and professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Nursing, became Chair of the Steering Committee. SHIH is also exploring options for incorporation.

Primary Care Crisis for Seniors in Central Ottawa: A Solution

There are now approximately 10,000 unattached seniors in the Ottawa Health Team boundaries—an alarming increase from 7,700 when we began. Losing primary care at this stage can lead to a crisis for older adults, making this issue our primary focus for political and public advocacy.

The SHIH’s proposed solution is a Geriatric-Focused Nurse Practitioner (NP) Clinic.

This innovative model responds to the need for geriatric-informed seniors care within Ontario’s universal healthcare system, pushing against the trend to privatized care. The clinic will be supported by Perley Health and Centretown Community Health Centre.

Start-Up Phase (2 Years):

Staffing

• 2 Nurse Practitioners (NP)
• 1 Registered Nurse (RN)
• 1 Registered Practical Nurse
• 1 Medical Receptionist

Scalable, with a vision of expansion into multiple Ottawa neighbourhoods. 

We are fortunate to have an NP training program here at the University of Ottawa School of Nursing. There are eight additional universities in Ontario that offer an NP designation. If this model were to be implemented across the province, an investment in training RNs would produce NPs more quickly than MDs could be produced. Many of them would have experience working with older adults. 

Educational Component:

• Practicums for NP, nursing, and social work students.
• Opportunities for NPs to enhance full-scope practice skills.

Funding & Government Support:

• Our June 2023 submission to Ontario Health, during a $110 million funding round for primary care, was not funded. However, in May 2024, Ontario Health East confirmed support of our original submission.

Key Developments in 2024:

• January: Presented our submission to Ontario’s pre-budget consultation committee.
• February: Canada and Ontario signed a $3.1 billion agreement to improve primary care. The agreement mandates the creation of new primary healthcare teams.
• August: Secured a letter of support from Mayor Sutcliffe and obtained contacts for city and provincial collaborations.
• September: Primary Care team met with Sean Webster, Premier Ford’s Deputy Chief of Staff, who provided advice on political advocacy.
• November: Dr. Jane Philpott was tasked with developing Ontario’s primary care strategy to connect every person to primary health care within the next five years.
• December: We met with Shawn Menard, the councillor for Capital Ward, and began planning a Senior Primary Care Forum to bring experts together, focusing on older adults’ healthcare. This hybrid event will allow both in-person and online participation.
• December: Margaret Tansey, SHIH chair, and Anna Cuylits, Steering Committee member were interviewed on Ottawa Morning. 

Community Support and Written Endorsements:

The SHIH’s nurse practitioner clinic proposal has garnered widespread endorsements from central Ottawa politicians, the Ottawa Health Team, and community organizations.

What You Can Do:

Write to the Ontario Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, at sylvia.jones@ontario.ca. Share your personal experiences as an older adult without a primary care provider. Some suggested wording from last year’s letter writing campaign is available on our website. Policy makers understand the power of real-world stories in advocacy.

Home Care and Community Support Services Working Group

About 80 respondents to the Community Feedback Questionnaire expressed concern about home care and caregiver support. A small working group has since formed to review those services. Initially we want to learn more about the present services and canvas experts about potential improvements to the system.

Highlights:

• In September, we hosted a forum at Abbotsford House to discuss system challenges (details available at the link on our website). About 50 people attended in person and about 100 virtually.
• we plan to partner with other organizations to offer webinars on:
  • 211 Services
  • CRA Tax Credits for Home Care

We’ll share updates on these events as they develop.

Survey respondents who expressed an interest in contributing to Home Care and Community Support and/or Caregiver Support will be receiving a more targeted email in the new year.

Housing

The SHIH Housing Team (Sheila Bryan, John Anderson, Grace Welch, and Terrance Hunsley) is collaborating with various organizations to develop a proposal for a large-scale nonprofit, intergenerational seniors’ housing community.

Housing Proposal: The Village Canada

Proposal Overview

The team proposes leasing land behind the RA Centre in Confederation Heights from federal authorities to build a model community.

The Vision

The Village would be a nonprofit “campus” combining affordable and market housing for seniors, students, and individuals with disabilities. It would foster a vibrant, intergenerational atmosphere and include housing options, recreation facilities, and community health and social care.

Preliminary Components

• Housing Cooperative: Affordable rental options with life-lease or ownership through cooperative shares.
• Non-Profit Rental Housing: A mix of market-priced and reduced-rent units.
• Co-Living Opportunities: Shared housing for seniors and students.
• Supportive Retirement Residences: Small-scale homes for independent or assisted living, including accommodations for individuals with disabilities or early-stage dementia.
• Village Square: Social hubs with intergenerational cafeterias, health services, and easy access to shopping, transportation, and universities.

Benefits

• Creates opportunities for research and training in social work, nursing, and seniors’ technology.
• Boosts local businesses and job creation, especially for disadvantaged groups.
• Provides diverse social supports, fostering independence for seniors.
• Frees up family homes in urban areas as seniors downsize, helping ease housing market pressures.

Participating Organizations

The project involves representatives from SHIH, Perley Health, RA Centre, South East Ottawa Community Health Centre, Ottawa Council on Aging, The Glebe Centre and Abbotsford House Seniors Centre, Ottawa Senior Pride Network, Ottawa Community Land Trust, Abbeyfield Riverside, The Causeway, Carefor Health and Community Services, and AGE-WELL/SAM3 National Innovation Hub.

Get Involved

For more details or to join the initiative, contact Terrance Hunsley at terrancehunsley@gmail.com.

Technology

The goal of the SHH technology team is to bring expert-recommended, well-tested innovations to life, helping seniors stay healthy and independent. By doing this, we aim to ease the strain on public systems. 

In the past year, we’ve continued to work actively with the SAM3 team, a collaboration between the Bruyère Research Institute and Carleton University in partnership with the AGE-WELL Network Centres of Excellence. We’ve also collaborated with research experts from Carleton University Department of Sociology, and School of Social Work. Together, we’re exploring how technology can help seniors live well at home. To learn more about technologies being developed in Canada, check out AGE-WELL. 

We’re also part of national discussions, representing seniors on the Experts by Experience Advisory Panel of the National Research Council Aging in Place Challenge program, and the Enabling Aging in Place Steering Committee of HealthCare Excellence Canada.

In 2024, our work with Carleton/Bruyère included helping recruit volunteers to test new technologies like:

• A ride-sharing app for seniors
• An app supporting people with mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers
• Sensor systems that promote safety and independence at home

If you’d like to participate in trial studies, email us at seniorshealthinnovationshub@gmail.com, and we’ll add you to our “technology” email list.

Additionally, we partnered with Carleton University’s School of Social Work to apply for funding with the objectives to:

• understand how the adoption of health technology can influence seniors’ health and behaviours
• identify the barriers to technology adoption within the seniors’ community; and
• how to successfully implement such technologies to support healthy aging in the community

While this specific application wasn’t approved, we’re actively seeking new funding opportunities.

The Technology team is exploring other ways to engage seniors who are interested in technology.  Stay tuned.

All the best in 2025, from the SHIH Steering Group:

Terrance Hunsley

Carolyn Inch

Anna Cuylits

Patricia Eakins

Peter Heyck

Ken Ross

Margaret Tansey