Transitions of Care for People with Dementia: Predictive Factors and Health Workforce Implications

• Main Author: Huyer, Gregory
• Other Authors: Bourgeault, Ivy
• Language: en
• Published: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa 2018
• Subjects: transitions of care; dementia; home care; long-term care; health workforce; health administrative data; predictive modeling
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/37330; http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-21602

As the population ages, policymakers struggle to cope with the increasing demands for home care and institutional long-term care. This thesis project focuses on factors associated with the transition from home to institutional care for people with dementia. Using health administrative data at a population level, we construct a multivariable model that estimates the time between home care initiation after dementia diagnosis and placement in a long-term care home. From the model, we identify protective factors that allow people with dementia to remain at home for longer, with a particular emphasis on the health workforce and the contribution of formal and informal caregivers to delaying the transition from home to institutional care. Together, these results inform policymakers in capacity planning and in determining where investments should be targeted to maintain people with dementia at home, along with the associated health workforce implications.