Integrating social prescribing in a Canadian regional health system to support healthy aging.

Social prescribing (SP) is a rapidly growing health and social model of care. The concept of social prescribing is based on well-known clinical practices such as community referrals, integrated health and social care, and navigator models. Although SP began in the United Kingdom's mental health and social care field, there are many examples of different models of SP foci and pathways.

'I want him to tell me he loves me': A smart audio device, Tochie, for resident-family connection in long-term care.

Background: Older people living in long-term care homes are particularly susceptible to loneliness and social isolation, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated further. 'Tochie' is a smart audio device that allows family members to remotely record and send messages, such as daily reminders and comforting recordings, to their loved ones in LTC settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using Tochie to improve resident-family connections, and to investigate user experience, impact and lessons learned.

Involvement of frontline clinicians in healthcare technology development: Lessons learned from a ventilator project.

Unlabelled: Co-development of healthcare technology with users helps produce user-friendly products, ensuring safe device usage and meeting patients' needs. For developers considering healthcare innovations, engaging user experience can reduce production time and cost while maximizing device application. The purpose of this paper is to report lessons learned from the development of a 3D printed origami ventilator prototype in response to the rise of ventilator demand due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.