Patient-centered interventions to promote the cognitive, physical, mental health and psychosocial function of community-dwelling older Canadians with multimorbidity

Between 55-98% of older adults suffer from multiple chronic illnesses. This condition, known as multimorbidity, has attendant implications of diminution of capability to function physically, mentally and socially. Older adults with many chronic illnesses are at particularly high risk of not being able to walk, do things they like such as visiting friends, and take care of themselves. This risk increases if they have cognitive problems such as dementia. As a result, older adults are frequently re-admitted to hospital. In many cases they are forced to leave their homes, get help from family, or go to a long-term care facility. Currently, we do not know how best to help these adults remain independent and live at home. To accomplish this, we plan to establish a network to develop person centred interventions that will lead to better outcomes for older adults with multimorbidity. We will learn more about the specific needs of these older adults and those of their family caregivers and, with their aid, we will develop interventions to enhance the physical, mental and social abilities of older adults with multimorbidity and also reduce the burden on the caregiver. We will develop ways to tailor the interventions to the needs of individuals, taking into account their personal factors and social context (such as sex, economic status and the level of support they have at home). We will also test the effectiveness of these interventions in different places in Canada, including acute care hospitals, homes and in rehabilitation facilities. This collaborative project will involve multidisciplinary researchers across Canada; the goal is to improve the quality of life of older Canadians with multimorbidity, give these adults the option to remain at home for longer, and reduce healthcare costs. The worthiness of these goals is apparent when we consider that they potentially affect nearly 5 million Canadians (those 65 or older), and their families; indeed, it will affect all of us.