What Older Adults and Their Caregivers Need for Making Better Decisions at Home

Most Canadians wish to stay at home in their old age. As older adults stay at home with the support of home and community services, they are often faced with difficult decisions, such as "Who will look after me when I can't look after myself any more, or if I have dementia?" or "Should I move to a nursing home, or stay here?" Care providers in the home and community can support older adults and their families make these difficult decisions by providing them with information they need and asking them about their values and preferences. By helping older adults and their families know more about their choices and choose options that reflect what is important to them, care providers can work with their clients to help them make informed health decisions together. In this fellowship, the investigators will study what supports are needed for older adults to make informed health decisions from the perspective of older adults, caregivers and front-line care providers in the home and community setting across Canada. This can help improve the home and community services provided to older adults (and their caregivers) so that older adults (and their caregivers) can make better decisions together with their health care team.