Advancing integrated health and social care through new toolkit

The Integrated Health and Social Care research project is a study awarded through a CIHR Policy Research for Health System Transformation grant and funded by Ontario Ministry of Health. Our research team (Health and Wellness Friendly Communities Action Learning Lab) is working to overcome challenges of optimizing people’s informal and community care networks within social, mental, and physical care as a routine part of population health, serious illness and elder care delivery. We have summarized current state evidence, studied social and informal care exemplars around the world and learned from years of Canadian piloting and community co-development. The lab now has a toolkit including a quality-of-life screener, goal setting and planning apps, volunteer connector training supported by a virtual platform. The grant is supporting research to understand how this approach could be implemented to enhance the outcomes of primary care, palliative care, home care and community services.