Review of Veterans Care Needs

Background

The Review of Veterans' Care Needs is an important policy and research body, established in 1996, that supports the Department's efforts to design programs and services that are driven by client need rather than program requirements, improving our ability to make evidence-based decisions. Through a series of research tools, including a literature review, focus groups with clients, their care givers and a number of health providers, and analysis of health services offered by the community and other levels of government in each province, our Review of Veterans Care Needs project team has been able to identify changes in the needs of aging veterans, gaps in benefits and services and how VAC can best add value to their care.

The RVCN gathered evidence through various key activities such as a client survey conducted by Statistics Canada, a series of focus groups, a literature review and extensive internal and external consultations to produce a client profile of community-dwelling veterans. The RVCN has also developed a client profile of veterans who reside in long-term care facilities.

Veterans have told us they want a choice of care settings and want to maintain their independence as long as possible. To meet the long-term care needs of our clients, we are looking at simplifying our programs and eligibility criteria as well as at alternate housing options and where we can partner with other organizations to ensure that our clients' needs are met through a continuum of care.

The RVCN is currently developing a profile of Canadian Forces clients to identify the current and future needs of VAC's CF clients and to identify any gaps in benefits and services to ensure they receive the care and support they need.

Reports

POLLARA Report on Focus Groups (May 1997)

A series of 12 focus groups was conducted as part of the Review of Veterans' Care Needs Project. The purpose of the focus groups was to collect qualitative information to identify veterans' current and future care needs, address gaps in support and services, and explore problems experienced by veterans and their caregivers in accessing support and services, including reasons for nonuse. These are the results of focus groups conducted with veterans, caregivers and service providers

• Executive Summary
• Full Document

Literature Review: Care Trends for Seniors (June 1997)

This literature review, which was conducted in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, attempted to identify current trends in the care of seniors. Close to 100 articles were reviewed from random publications, the majority of which were chosen based on their availability in the VAC Departmental Library. Other material reviewed included unpublished papers by the VAC Departmental Gerontologist, a selection of published research projects funded by Health Canada, the Long Term Care Monitor (January 1995 to November 1996), several books, and a number of Internet sites. Although reference publication dates range from 1985 to 1996, the vast majority fall in the 1993 to 1996 bracket.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report

Discussion Paper - Long Term Care Trends in Canada (May 1998)

Follow-up to the Literature Review (June 1997). In light of its current focus on projecting the demand for long term care and developing options for meeting that demand, and given the ever-increasing senior population in Canada and the various cutbacks in the health care field prompting ongoing change, the Review deemed it appropriate to re-visit current literature on aging and health. Specifically, this paper will present readers with a brief overview of some of the very recent trends in long term care in Canada. It is not meant to cover all topics in long term care, but simply to present readers with a glimpse of some of current issues and trends.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report

Supportive Housing Options for Senior Veterans in Canada (November 1998)

While there is no common definition of the term "supportive housing" for seniors in Canada, it is used broadly to describe housing options that fill the wide gap between independent living in the community and dependent living in an institutional setting.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report

Client Profile of Veterans Residing in Long-term Care Facilities (January 1999)

The purpose of this paper is to provide readers with a profile of VAC's institutionalized veteran population in departmental, contract and community facilities. It will serve as one in a series of planning tools for VAC field managers and will, in addition to other activities, assist in the development of options to meet the demand for long-term care for veterans. Data on the general senior male population in long-term care facilities is also provided for comparison purposes.

Research conducted by the Review constitutes the main data sources, with the two main activities being the Institutional Client File Review and the Facility Questionnaire. Full details on their methodology and findings are available in separate Review documents.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report

Institutional Client File Review

This report was based on a sampling of institutional clients who were receiving facility care as of May 31, 1998 and clients who had received facility care between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 1997.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report