Care by Design
The Care by Design program provides residents of long term care facilities access to high quality and consistent primary health care. Care by Design strives to provide high quality of life to the most frail seniors and an appropriate health care approach to meet their health care needs. This ensures a comprehensive, collaborative and resident centered approach to primary care provision.
Family physicians are assigned to a single floor in a long term care home and participate with an actively engaged team of patients, families and members of an interdisciplinary team to deliver the best care. In addition to the Care by Design ‘physician per floor’, these teams include long term care medical directors, nurses, pharmacists, advanced care paramedics and allied health care professionals. With this support, residents can be better cared for in the comfort in the place they call home and avoid inappropriate transfers to acute care facilities.
Care by Design is currently offered in most Central Zone long term care facilities, please contact your local long term care facility to see if Care by Design is offered in your community.
Long Term Care Facilities
Previously, residents entering LTCF in Nova Scotia Health Authority maintained or found a family physician for primary care. As a result many different family physicians provided care to residents within a single LTCF, creating care coordination challenges.
Primary Care
Studies demonstrate uncoordinated mechanisms of primary care in LTCF. These are less effective than coordinated models. This study examines changes in physician care for LTCF residents with the introduction of a new model of care called “Care by Design”.