I have appreciated the opportunity throughout this course to view healthcare with a variety of lens and when I look at the future direction of health care, I see an emphasis on visioning now to create a better tomorrow. In the beginning of our studies, we sought meaningful definitions for health, we then applied health frameworks to better understand the systems in place needed to support health and now it is time to provide context for our health understanding to prepare for the future. It is rather awesome to be on this journey of reflection, curation, and health synthesis. I did not anticipate dedicating my area of interest towards the impact of discharge planning for patients experiencing homelessness. I had planned to focus on long term care and the complexity of dementia care in facility living. I guess that is why it is so important for me, in these last weeks of the class to explore the future direction of healthcare by showcasing the provincial priorities of all Albertans who finding a pathway home. Alberta Health Services (AHS, 2021) has provided strategic vision for the future of health in Alberta to focus on and plan for:
provide a long-term view of healthcare delivery over the next 15 years
play a key role to help ensure decisions we’re making today result in the best possible outcomes for tomorrow
align to the AHS Health Plan and Business Plan
help guide the development and implementation of Zone-specific strategies and initiatives
And, in collaboration with this vision the provincial government of Alberta is focused on building from lessons learned in the facility based continuing care review (2021) where their recommendations impose immediate opportunity for action to improve the care today and set the direction for resident family centered care in facility living for the future. These recommendations include (Alberta, 2021):
providing direction to support couples and companions to remain living together in continuing care facilities if they choose.
enhancing public reporting on continuing care inspections.
phasing out shared rooms in continuing care facilities, including an immediate halt on admissions to rooms where there are already two residents.
updating design guidelines for continuing care centers to include learnings from COVID-19 and targeting capital funding to support a greater variety of models for upcoming builds.
providing capital grant funding to support Indigenous groups for continuing care services in the communities where they live.
expanding community care and services options to enable more people to stay at home.
Expansion of community care and a coordinated commitment to enabling people to stay at home. Where the emphasis on home allows Albertans to age in place, to live in the community with chronic illness and to access sustainable, attainable resources that enhance or exceed their unique care needs including mental health and addictions. The future direction of health is finding homes for all Albertans, and recognizing the care delivery gaps, the impact of unstable housing and the demand for collaborated, prioritized, accessible healthcare. The Alberta government moved towards the future when it was announced that there was $21.5 million prioritized funding dollars for additional beds and isolation sites at emergency homeless shelters and emergency women’s shelters. The provincial funding will extend COVID-19 supports to shelters until March 2022. About $13 million of the money would aid 14 shelters to expand space and provide meals, showers, laundry services and access to addictions and mental health services (Mertz, 2021).
References
Government of Alberta, (2021). Facility based continuing care review. Retrieved November 25, 2021, from Improving quality of life for continuing care residents | alberta.ca
Alberta Health Services, (2021). The future of health in Alberta. Retrieved November 26, 2021, from The Future of Health in Alberta | Alberta Health Services
Mertz, E. (2021, November 17). Global News Edmonton: Alberta provides $12.5M to extend COVID-19 supports to emergency homeless shelters. Retrieved November 26, 2021, from Alberta provides $21.5M to extend COVID-19 supports to emergency homeless shelters - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca
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