Activities will focus on community engagement and collaborative exploration of opportunities to strengthen community-based care coordination for older adults in the Comox Valley, Rural Comox, and Courtenay. Using a Patient-Oriented Research Learning Health System approach, the activities will integrate the voices of people with lived and living experience (PWLE) to identify priorities related to medication management, chronic disease management, and care transitions following hospitalization. Activities will explore collaborative care pathways between Community Health Services (CHS), community pharmacies, and primary care to support healthy aging in place and reduce avoidable hospitalization and premature need for assisted living and long-term care.
Activity 1 (August 2026) will involve a virtual planning meeting between UBC researchers, Island Health CHS leadership, and patient advisors to review community and operational data, identify care coordination gaps and priority populations, and refine engagement goals using culturally safe and inclusive approaches.
Activity 2 (October 2026) will involve a 3-hour in-person community engagement session at the wheelchair-accessible Florence Filberg Centre. Approximately 25-30 participants, including 6-8 PWLE and caregivers, community pharmacists, healthcare providers, community organizations, researchers, and CHS leadership, will discuss lived experiences, barriers, and opportunities related to medication management, chronic disease management, care transitions, and coordination between providers. The session will include refreshments, breaks, and small-group discussions to support participation by older adults and caregivers.
Activity 3 (October-November 2026) will involve two virtual working group meetings with interested participants from the engagement session, including PWLE and caregivers. Participants will validate findings, identify shared priorities, explore collaborative care pathways, and provide feedback on recommendations and draft action plan.
Anticipated outcomes: strengthened partnerships between researchers, health system leaders, community organizations, healthcare providers, and PWLE; improved understanding of care coordination gaps affecting older adults; identification of opportunities to strengthen referral pathways, medication review, and continuity of care; development of shared priorities and a preliminary action plan to inform future operational planning and healthy aging strategies.
Additional team members and participating organizations:
Annie Moore, Tara McMillan, and Dr. Dawn Waterhouse, Research Program and Facilitation at Island Health Authority