QPC-LTC Toolkit

What is it?

Tools for Change is a resource that was created by the Quality Palliative Care in Long Term Care (QPC-LTC) Alliance to guide long term care homes in Canada that are creating their own formalized palliative care programs. The Alliance consists of 30 researchers & knowledge brokers, 50 community organizational partners, over 30 students along with Bethammi Nursing Home, Hogarth Riverview Manor, Creekway Village and Allendale Long Term Care Home. The contribution of all QPC-LTC Alliance members in this work is gratefully acknowledged. The Alliance members developed a model of care for palliative care in long term care that is supported by multiple quality improvement interventions for implementing education, direct care, community partnerships, and policy and program development. These individual implementation toolkits make up this overarching toolkit for developing Quality Palliative Care in Long Term Care Homes. View the toolkit resource directory or view an overview of the four modules and interventions.

Why was the toolkit created?

This toolkit is a main outcome of the Alliance’s participatory action research over five years. The project, called a Community University Research Alliance, was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Knowledge Translation component was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The overarching goal of this project was to improve quality of life for residents with progressive, chronic and life limiting illnesses who are living and dying within their long term care homes. These include residents with diseases of the liver, heart, lung, kidney, cancer and dementias.

What is it?

The toolkit outlines a model of care that was developed using literature on innovative practices and guidelines for providing palliative care and research data indicating the successes of the four long term care home that volunteered to be study sites. An audit tool was created as a companion to the model to help long term care homes self-assess their current structures and processes for palliative care. In areas where long term care homes choose to do quality improvement, our practical toolkits are offered to help homes develop or enhance their structures and processes and improve the delivery of palliative care.

How can long term care homes use this toolkit?

Long term care homes can use this toolkit to do a self-assessment on their current provision of palliative care. This toolkit is meant to be a guide and resource, offering long term care homes a way to assess their palliative care delivery and to continue to enhance or develop their existing programs. Long term care homes are free to copy and share any parts of this toolkit that is of use to them. They may also adapt these toolkit to better fit the needs of their organization. Use of the model and toolkits should be acknowledged as: name of tool, version #, date, Quality Palliative Care in Long Term Care Alliance, www.palliativealliance.ca