A Health Sciences North physician and researcher will in Ottawa Oct. 24 to educate parliamentarians about the health care needs of frail seniors.
Dr. Janet McElhaney, vice-president of research and scientific director at the Health Sciences North Research Institute, will be a presenter at the Frailty Among the Aged in Canada conference, which takes place at the Centre Block building on Parliament Hill.
One of Canada’s foremost experts on healthy aging, McElhaney’s research has led to new models of care at Health Sciences North which have been successful in avoiding or reducing frailty in seniors admitted to hospital.
“We need to understand that the increase in frailty that happens to older people when they come into hospital is actually preventable,” McElhaney said in a press release.
“We are spending a lot of money on health care for seniors and we need a better return on our investment. Improving outcomes for seniors is not only improving the quality of life, but it saves money for the health care system.”
McElhaney has also led research on how to make the flu vaccine more effective for seniors, and is part of a project to create an information-sharing system that can be used by researchers, health care planners and providers, and patients to identify key health care priorities and action plans for people living in northern Canada.
Other topics to be covered at the Frailty Among the Aged in Canada conference include the biology of frailty, how to identify frailty, the societal impact of frailty and prevention of frailty.
“Healthy aging is one of the most pressing health care issues of our time, and it’s wonderful that our elected leaders will have the opportunity to learn more about this issue from someone of the calibre of Dr. McElhaney,” said Dr. Denis Roy, president and CEO of Health Sciences Nort and its research institute, in a press release.
“Dr. McElhaney’s research into healthy aging is being applied directly to patient care at HSN. Our patients, particularly our frail seniors, are receiving care from one of the best experts in the world, and what she is discovering could have global implications.”
