To help understand the changing care needs of older people as they age and when they might be nearing the end of their lives, a team of researchers has developed the Risk Assessment tool for support: Predictions for the lives of the elderly in the community (RESPECT).
The calculator, which predicts death in 6 months, is based on data from more than 491,000 older adults living in the community and using home care in the 6-year period between 2007 and 2013.
Respect
The research team found that a person’s decreased ability to perform activities of daily living, such as hygiene, toilet use, and locomotion , were stronger predictors of 6-month mortality than disease conditions. a person. The tool was designed with patients and their caregivers in mind and has been piloted in community settings in Ontario. It can also be used by physicians and home care personnel, as well as hospice professionals.
While most Canadians die from predictable causes and have health needs that can be met at home, only 20% of people receive a home health visit in their last year of life. That’s where the RESPECT tool would come in, as explained by Amy Hsu , a researcher at the Bruyère Research Institute, an affiliate researcher at the Hospital of Ottawa, and a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa:
The RESPECT calculator allows families and their loved ones to plan. For example, you can help a child plan when to take a leave of absence from work to be with a parent or decide when to take the last family vacation together.