Public Health.

Background: Disease modifying therapies (DMTs) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been approved in some countries although these treatments will require substantial health resources for their implementation. Initial capacity planning to identify the resources required to support DMTs begins with estimating the number of people with dementia who may be eligible for DMTs. We estimated the potential number of individuals with dementia who are eligible for DMTs using population-based data in Alberta, Canada.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) are common, can be distressing for persons living with dementia (PLWD), and challenging for caregivers and clinicians. There are few updated clinical practice guidelines available to assist clinicians with the assessment and management of BPSD, including deprescribing of medications. The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH) developed Canadian clinical practice guidelines on the assessment and management of BPSD to address these needs.

Evaluating the impact of a national geriatric mental health ECHO educational program on healthcare providers' practice.

Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) enables healthcare providers to share knowledge and best practices via telementoring. The ECHO model builds provider capacity and improves care for patients with a variety of health conditions. This study describes a Canada-wide National ECHO pilot project in the area of geriatric mental health and reports on the program's impact on providers' care practices.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transfers between long-term care and emergency departments across Alberta.

Background: Long-term care (LTC) was overwhelmingly impacted by COVID-19 and unnecessary transfer to emergency departments (ED) can have negative health outcomes. This study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted LTC to ED transfers and hospitalizations, utilization of community paramedics and facilitated conversations between LTC and ED physicians during the first four waves of the pandemic in Alberta, Canada.

Methods: In this retrospective population-based study, administrative databases were linked to identify episodes of care for LTC residents who resided in facilities in Alberta, Canada.

Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of Personal Protective Equipment in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review.

Objective: To review existing literature evaluating barriers and facilitators to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care workers in long-term care (LTC).

Design: Scoping review.

Setting And Participants: Health care workers in LTC settings.

Efficacy of virtual interventions for reducing symptoms of depression in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review.

Background: Older adults experience symptoms of depression, leading to suffering and increased morbidity and mortality. Although we have effective depression therapies, physical distancing and other public health measures have severely limited access to in-person interventions.

Objective: To describe the efficacy of virtual interventions for reducing symptoms of depression in community-dwelling older adults.

Improving care for residents in long term care facilities experiencing an acute change in health status.

Background: Long term care (LTC) facilities provide health services and assist residents with daily care. At times residents may require transfer to emergency departments (ED), depending on the severity of their change in health status, their goals of care, and the ability of the facility to care for medically unstable residents. However, many transfers from LTC to ED are unnecessary, and expose residents to discontinuity in care and iatrogenic harms.

Keeping Long-Term Care Patients Out of Hospital During Acute Medical Illness: Proposal for Common Elements of an Integrated Healthcare Delivery System for Long-Term Care.

Integration of acute and palliative care services for long-term care (LTC) residents reduces the morbidity and mortality associated with avoidable hospitalizations while contributing to healthcare system sustainability. This paper explores patient, provider and system factors contributing to potentially avoidable emergency room visits from LTC homes, based on our clinical and quality improvement work in the Greater Toronto Area and Calgary, as well as reviews the existing literature. Commonalities are used to identify key elements for developing an integrated healthcare delivery system to manage acute medical changes in LTC residents and minimize the need for in-patient hospitalization.

Aging at Home: A Portrait of Home-Based Primary Care Across Canada.

Older adults and their families often struggle in navigating an increasingly fragmented healthcare system when it becomes increasingly difficult to receive care beyond their homes in the face of advanced illness, frailty and complex care needs. The provision of integrated home-based primary care has demonstrated improved patient and caregiver experiences and reduced healthcare costs when primary care providers collaborate in delivering care as part of larger interprofessional teams. In this trans-Canada portrait of five urban home-based primary care programs, their core features are highlighted to provide a roadmap on how to integrate this form of care into a Patient's Medical Home in partnership with acute and home-care providers.

A controlled quality improvement trial to reduce the use of physical restraints in older hospitalized adults.

Objectives: To implement and evaluate an evidence-informed multicomponent strategy to reduce physical restraint use in older adults admitted to acute care medical units.

Design: Stepped-wedge trial.

Setting: Four acute care medical units in Calgary, Alberta, over a 4-month time period.