Current projects

A photo of several people sitting around a meeting table. A man stands on the left reading from a paper while others look on.
Inner City Action Team meeting. Ashley Mollison, project coordinator (centre), Piotr Burek (standing)

There is an urgent need to draw attention to how our health care system can create and perpetuate inequities. Our research program seeks to address these inequities through prioritizing our research on the needs of those who are currently excluded.

In care, it includes approaches that re-centre and prioritize the individual in their family and community context. It may mean redirecting resources based on need or policy changes to enable supportive approaches to care. The goal is a robust health, social, economic, and political systems that can support families and communities to attend to death and dying wherever it happens.

Current research projects

Caregiving for Vulnerable and Marginalized Older Adults at the End of Life

UPCOMING RESEARCH: Working with inner city palliative care teams in three Canadian cities (Victoria, Calgary and Toronto), Kelli Stajduhar will lead a new study that aims to expand our understanding of the non-traditional caregiver experience by exploring who provides palliative care, what types of supports they provide, where care usually happens, and the impacts on caregivers. Caregiving for Vulnerable and Marginalized Older Adults at the End of Life website.

Dying at Home (A Mixed Method Policy Research Study of Dying at Home)

Understanding the complexity of preferences for place of death and family involvement in end of life (EOL) care is especially urgent following decades of changes in Canadian health and social policies, funding and service delivery, which have increased structural pressures towards aging and dying in place. Dying at Home website.

Towards Equity-Informed Care: Making Visible the Needs of People who are Socially Disadvantaged

By partnering with people who are experiencing social disadvantage, we want to identify some quality of life assessments that can measure what matters to people when interacting with the health care system. Towards Equity-informed Care website.

Tackling the Home Care Challenge: A Mixed Methods Study of Publicly Funded Home Care Services in 4 Canadian Cities

Population aging, technological advancements and burgeoning costs are expected to contribute to growth within and demands on the Canadian home care sector. Several reports highlight the growing demand for home care and the urgent need to re-envision a publicly-funded home care system that promotes equitable and consistent access to care for older adults that is sustainable into the future. Tackling the Home Care Challenge website.

Improving Access to Palliative Approaches to Care for Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations

Current palliative care services are not well equipped or designed for adults with complex service needs and who are vulnerably housed, living in shelters or in parks or on the streets. Partnerships built during previous CIHR & CCSRI research culminated in funding for clinical services (physician and nurse coordinator) to improve care at end-of-life for people experiencing structural vulnerability.

Catalyst funds for the Palliative Outreach Resource Team (PORT) were provided by Saint Elizabeth Foundation to Victoria Cool Aid Society and supplemented by Island Health. Alongside this clinical service, we were funded by the Vancouver Foundation to conduct Participatory Action Research to develop, implement, and evaluate PORT and figure out the best ways to integrate palliative approaches to care in inner-city settings. Improving Access website.

Inter-Provincial Navigation Programs

An inter-provincial comparison of innovative programs that help individuals and families affected by life-limiting chronic illnesses navigate end-of-life health services. Inter-Provincial Navigation Programs website.

Initiative for a Palliative Approach in Nursing: Evidence and Leadership (iPANEL)

iPANEL was a group of nurse researchers, practitioners, and administrators who shared a common goal of advancing the further integration of a palliative approach into the healthcare system. Our program of research was strongly practice-oriented, meant to inform, and be informed by clinical practice. iPanel website..

Integrated Palliative Approach to Care in Residential Care (iPAC-RC)

The iPAC-RC is one arm of a CIHR Team Grant: Late Life Issues, Seniors Adding Life to Years (SALTY). iPAC-RC website.

Integrated Palliative Approach to Care in the Inner City (iPAC-IC)

Using participatory approaches, the project combines inquiry and action to support the integration of a palliative approach into Inner City settings with those working in housing, outreach, shelters, and community health clinics. iPAC-IC website.