Many older adults and their families want to be involved in making decisions about their care, but this doesn’t always happen. Phrases such as “patient-centred care” and “patient engagement” are used frequently, but often without any concrete meaning for patients, their family caregivers, or their health care providers.
In this program, discussions were held with providers, patients and families to develop an understanding of views, practices and experiences related to patient engagement.
Paul Stolee, PhD is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on health system challenges affecting older persons, primary care, and engagement of patients and caregivers in health care decision-making. At Waterloo, he leads the Geriatric Health Systems Research Group, and is the Director of the University of Waterloo Network for Aging Research. He is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal on Aging.
Jacobi Elliott, PhD holds adjunct appointments with the University of Waterloo and Western University. Jacobi is the Evaluation Lead in Specialized Geriatric Services at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Her research focuses on care transitions, patient and family engagement, and geriatric health system challenges. Jacobi is a member of the Canadian Frailty Network’s Citizen Engagement Committee.