Abstract
Abstract
Objective
Many economically developed countries have seen a decline in publicly funded community programming. Within this context, community-based seniors’ service (CBSS) organizations have been increasingly tasked to deliver programs to support the health and wellbeing of older citizens (e.g., home support, physical activity programs, and chronic disease management education). The primary objective of this study was to capture of the current needs of CBSS leaders in British Columbia, Canada, who attended a seminal event in the CBSS sector’s development—the inaugural Summit on Aging.
Results
Our evaluation of the Summit included: pre/post Summit surveys (N = 79/76), ethnographic observations, and follow-up interviews (n = 22). Our detailed evaluation plan may inform others undertaking similar data collection; the most informative results were derived from the follow-up interviews and our findings suggest that interviews may be sufficient for similar evaluations. Summit delegates identified key opportunities to strengthen the CBSS as a sector, including enhanced collaboration; improved mechanisms that foster connecting and collaborating; and more resources, including training and qualified staff, to increase their capacity to deliver community-based health services. These findings echo work already completed in the community-based health promotion sector.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine
Reference18 articles.
1. Chouinard V, Crooks VA. Negotiating neoliberal environments in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada: restructuring of state–voluntary sector relations and disability organizations’ struggles to survive. Eviron Plann C Gov Policy. 2008;26(1):173–90.
2. Hayes LJB, Moore S. Care in a time of austerity: the electronic monitoring of homecare workers’ time. Gend Work Organ. 2017;24(4):329–44.
3. Lloyd L, Tanner D, Milne A, Ray M, Richards S, Sullivan MP, Beech C, Phillips J. Look after yourself: active ageing, individual responsibility and the decline of social work with older people in the UK. Eur J Soc Work. 2014;17(3):322–35.
4. Cohen M, McLaren A, Sharman Z, Murray S, Hughes M, Ostry A. From support to isolation: the high cost of BC’s declining home support services. Vancouver, BC: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/support-isolation. 2006.
5. Kadowaki L, Cohen M. Raising the profile of the community-based seniors’ services sector in B.C.: A review of the literature. http://www.seniorsraisingtheprofile.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/RPP-Literature-Review.pdf. 2017.