Abstract
The United Nations (UN) Decade of Healthy Ageing (1) and the World Health Organization Sustainable Development Goals (2) both focus on improving the lives of older adults. The UN Healthy Ageing 50 (3) recently recognized global leaders who have demonstrated concrete actions to meet the needs of older adults and one such initiative is the nurse-led [Blinded Program Name] program (4).
Evidence-based and asset-based community development informed (5), [x] provides resources to long-term care facilities for them to provide services to older adults and caregivers in the community. The objectives of the program are to: 1) ensure access to appropriate services and information related to aging in place; 2) provide social health initiatives to counter social isolation and loneliness; 3) increase awareness and knowledge of health-related issues important to aging in place and healthy aging; and 4) empower the local community to respond to an aging population by becoming an age-friendly community. Piloted in four communities from 2019 to 2023 and then adopted and spread by the provincial government, this presentation will focus on both the pilot research results while providing an overview of the first-year provincial spread evaluation.
Using a sequential mixed methods evaluation approach, data was collected with older adults (n=288) who completed the survey evaluation components during the pilot program along with 18 semi-structured individual interviews with program participants. Results from data analysis confirmed the positive impact of the project on the desired outcomes. Participants indicated being supported to age in place along with accessible services. Participants also shared ‘feeling in security' in their home. Also, the frailty level of participants remained stable throughout the pilot study. Qualitative results indicate that some participants avoided going to the emergency department for non-urgent matters and that receiving services from the program delayed admission to a long-term care facility. Results from year one of the provincial spread supports these initial findings along with additional clarifications as to the financial impact of the program.
With a focus on health promotion, the social determinants of health and timely appropriate accompaniment and support, this program has been proven successful at keeping older adults at home. Thus, national interest has supported the spread of the program to other parts of the country.
Notes
Funding:
Healthy Seniors Pilot Projects (HSPP); Government of New Brunswick; Healthcare Excellence Canada; The Waltons Trust
References:
1-United Nations. (2020). UN Decade of Healthy Ageing: Plan of Action. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/decade-of-healthy-ageing/decade-proposal-final-apr2020-en.pdf
2-United Nations. (2025). Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
3-United Nations. (2025). Decade of Healthy Ageing. https://www.decadeofhealthyageing.org/topics-initiatives/other-initiatives/healthy-ageing-50
4-Dupuis-Blanchard, S. et al. (2018). Nursing Home Without Walls for Aging in Place. Canadian Journal on Aging, 37(4), 442-449.
5-Russell, C. (2018). Asset based community development (ABCD). https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/asset-based-community-development/
Sigma Membership
Mu Sigma
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Long-Term Care, Public and Community Health, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Nursing Interventions, Home Care Services, Home Health Care Services, Home Environment, Older People, Aged, Aging in Place, Elder Care
Recommended Citation
Dupuis-Blanchard, Suzanne; Hache-Chiasson, Alisson; Freeze, Judy; Lagosky, Stephanie; Piche, Andrea; and Theriault, Danielle, "Nursing Home Without Walls: A Nurse-Led Innovative Home Support Program" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 214.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/214
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-25
Nursing Home Without Walls: A Nurse-Led Innovative Home Support Program
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The United Nations (UN) Decade of Healthy Ageing (1) and the World Health Organization Sustainable Development Goals (2) both focus on improving the lives of older adults. The UN Healthy Ageing 50 (3) recently recognized global leaders who have demonstrated concrete actions to meet the needs of older adults and one such initiative is the nurse-led [Blinded Program Name] program (4).
Evidence-based and asset-based community development informed (5), [x] provides resources to long-term care facilities for them to provide services to older adults and caregivers in the community. The objectives of the program are to: 1) ensure access to appropriate services and information related to aging in place; 2) provide social health initiatives to counter social isolation and loneliness; 3) increase awareness and knowledge of health-related issues important to aging in place and healthy aging; and 4) empower the local community to respond to an aging population by becoming an age-friendly community. Piloted in four communities from 2019 to 2023 and then adopted and spread by the provincial government, this presentation will focus on both the pilot research results while providing an overview of the first-year provincial spread evaluation.
Using a sequential mixed methods evaluation approach, data was collected with older adults (n=288) who completed the survey evaluation components during the pilot program along with 18 semi-structured individual interviews with program participants. Results from data analysis confirmed the positive impact of the project on the desired outcomes. Participants indicated being supported to age in place along with accessible services. Participants also shared ‘feeling in security' in their home. Also, the frailty level of participants remained stable throughout the pilot study. Qualitative results indicate that some participants avoided going to the emergency department for non-urgent matters and that receiving services from the program delayed admission to a long-term care facility. Results from year one of the provincial spread supports these initial findings along with additional clarifications as to the financial impact of the program.
With a focus on health promotion, the social determinants of health and timely appropriate accompaniment and support, this program has been proven successful at keeping older adults at home. Thus, national interest has supported the spread of the program to other parts of the country.
Description
A nurse-led program, is supporting older adults and their caregivers to age in place by providing long-term care facilities with resources to extend support to the community. This presentation will provide an overview of the program along with the evaluation results from the pilot testing (2019-2023) along with the year one evaluation of the provincial spread of the program. National spread and scale are scheduled for 2026.