Generating New Ways to Address Real-World Problems in Seniors Health and Healthcare in British Columbia

Living well as we age is a universal aspiration. It is also a great challenge, particularly for older adults with increasingly complex medical and social care needs. Numerous reports from 6 decades offer evidence of failure of the health and social care systems to respond to population aging in ways that create a sustainable future for healthcare delivery. Despite decades of evidence to inform development of health services and systems to meet the needs of an aging population, action on evidence-informed recommendations or care approaches are negligible. In the last 10+ years, our team and others have produced evidence to inform health system design for aging populations. While some small-scale uptake of research is achieved, broad-based system change which is critical to meet the needs of an aging population has been minimal. The proposed C2 grant is aimed at understanding why that is. Why is this extensive evidence to inform health system change for aging populations seldom used? Our well-positioned team will engage in a series of deliberative dialogues with invited stakeholders to begin laying the foundation for new approaches to both producing and applying research to real-world problems facing senior’s health and healthcare.