Palliative care is commonly misunderstood as only important for people who are actively dying and in the final weeks or days of life. However, the relief of suffering through holistic and compassionate care is an essential component of care for all patients with a life-threatening illness. In long-term care (LTC), the average life expectancy of residents is 18 months. Most older people receiving care in this setting have limited life expectancy and can benefit from palliative care. However, the ability of LTC homes to introduce and embed palliative care approaches might be hindered by poor prognostication and communication about the prognosis or goals of care. In this project, we implemented a risk communication tool called RESPECT–LTC, which stands for Risk Evaluation for Support: Predictions for Elder-life in the Community Tool in LTC, across LTC homes in Ontario to support their ongoing efforts to embed palliative approaches in this setting.
Recruitment to platform at one of the hubs
Consent and enrolment in platform
Collection of key data, minimizing participant burden for individual trials
Screening automatically for all trials taking place on the platform, maximizing options for patients and caregivers
Trials – patients and caregivers participate in trials they are eligible for
Ongoing check-ins – patients and caregivers are followed until they choose to stop participating or until patient death
Bereavement – we follow caregivers for up to three years and offer them bereavement interventions
By linking practice and research, the platform will improve care for patients and families affected by advanced cancer.
Practice
Clinicians, patients, and caregivers identify areas for improvement in care.
PCPCRC
Supports foundational research that identifies promising interventions.
Research Platform
Comprised of Phase 3 RCTs, Research Hubs, Data Strategy.
Evaluation of hub model and data strategy to optimize research.
Training and mentorship underlie and uphold all activities in the cycle.