Joining Up Care Around The Individual - Lessons From Vancouver

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe lessons learned from a homecare practice for frail elderly people.Design/methodology/approach - It is strictly a description of a point of view in respect of care of frailty designed to avoid institution.Findings - Generally, frail elderly patients choose care focused on comfort and function as opposed to the traditional systematic healthcare goals of rescue and prevention. This choice should be respected.Research limitations/implications - There are no formal research findings. Practical implications - Cost-saving as well as improvement in care is possible through team-based relationship-oriented homecare of the frail elderly where that care emphasizes comfort and function.Originality/value - This paper is authored by Dr John Sloan and is entirely original.