Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Primary Care for Older Adults Living with Frailty

About the Project

The Canadian population is aging. As people age, they are more likely to develop health problems. People who experience multiple health problems are frailer and more at risk of poor outcomes if they get sick or injured. Finding ways to manage frailty will be important for the health and well-being of aging Canadians.

Even so, consideration of frailty is rarely integrated into routine clinical care. Health care providers currently lack effective, evidence-based tools needed to recognize and respond to frailty in its early stages when progression can be prevented or lessened. The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is considered the gold standard globally for assessing and managing frail older adults. The CGA is a process of care in which health and function are assessed and a corresponding treatment plan is developed. A staple of specialized geriatric care, the efficacy and efficiency of CGAs in primary care settings is understudied.

This project will respond to the frailty challenge by evaluating the feasibility, acceptability and applicability of the CGA in primary care clinics as an approach to documenting, tracking and implementing preventive and active treatment care planning. This exciting initiative will create an effective mechanism to help healthcare professionals integrate and manage frailty within their practice and improve the overall health of older adults living with frailty. Ultimately, our vision is to fully integrate the CGA into clinical practice as part of routine primary care at sites across Canada.

Project Team

Principal Investigator:

Olga Theou – Dalhousie University

Co-Investigators:

Melissa Andrew – Nova Scotia Health Authority
Barry Clarke – Nova Scotia Health Authority
Mary Gorman – Nova Scotia Health Authority (St. Martha’s Hospital)
Elaine Moody – Dalhousie University
Emily Gard Marshall – Dalhousie University
Kenneth Rockwood – Nova Scotia Health Authority
Xiaowei Song – Fraser Health Authority

Collaborators:

Lynn Edwards – Nova Scotia Health Authority
Valerie Lewis – Family Medicine Clinic
Grace Park – Fraser Health Authority
Adam Rostis – Nova Scotia Health Authority
Susan Savage – Nova Scotia Health Authority
Courtney Wicklund – Nova Scotia Health Authority

Patient & Caregiver Partners:

Olive Bryanton – SPOR P.E.I.
Sherri Fay – Fraser Health Authority
Beverley Lawson – C.A.R.P. Nova Scotia
Ron Swan – C.A.R.P. Nova Scotia