Authors: Margaret Chen-Mei Lin, Grace Park, Maureen C. Ashe
Title: Integrating social prescribing in a Canadian regional health system to support healthy aging
Summary: ELCHA Trainee Margaret Chen-Mei Lin, ELCHA Investigator Dr. Maureen C. Ashe, and Dr. Grace Park recently published a paper on how health systems and community organizations can collaborate to help older adults stay healthier and happier. Social Prescribing is a care model that involves health professionals and non-profit community organizations working closely to identify non-clinical health needs and connect older adults with community resources such as social activities, exercise programs, transportation support, or meal services. In British Columbia (BC), social prescribing is funded by the Ministry of Health and managed by United Way BC to promote healthy aging. Almost 100 Seniors Community Connectors (SCCs) work in various local community organizations throughout BC to support older adults. SCCs incorporate a person-centred and strength-based approach to identify and address older adults’ needs, ensuring they have access to vital community resources. In Fraser Health, a BC region with over 320,000 older adults, the innovative care model has been successfully integrated into routine healthcare through continuous quality improvement and intersectoral collaboration. A designated team at Fraser Health Authority leads education, check-ins, standardization, and evaluation in close partnership with SCCs, interdisciplinary healthcare providers and diverse teams to ensure the social prescribing model that can best address the diverse needs of older adults and is easy for care providers. The paper shares strategies and learnings on how large healthcare systems and community organizations can collaborate better to support better health outcomes for older adults.
Read the full article.