1

Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR)

Improving Equitable Access to Rehabilitation

Canadian Home Care Association Summit October 25, 2012

2

Overview

• Objectives

• Background (CWGHR and access to rehabilitation)

• Rehabilitation and Home Care

• How can we increase access to rehabilitation?

• Moving forward – working together

• Evaluation

3

Objectives of this session

• Increase collective understanding of trends in access to rehabilitation and links with home care

• Increase our ability to address policy and program challenges and utilize opportunities for improving rehabilitation and home care services for people with chronic conditions

4

Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR)

• National, multi-sector and interdisciplinary not for profit organization formed in 1998

• Addresses disability and rehabilitation issues in the context of HIV and other lifelong and episodic health conditions

• Centred on the needs of people living with HIV and other chronic and episodic conditions

• Integrated approach – research, education, policy and practice – importance of partnerships

5

CWGHR (cont’d)

• Increasing equitable access to rehabilitation is a priority for CWGHR

– Holding round table discussions– Meeting with policy makers– Sharing examples of nnovative programs

integrating rehabilitation

6

What do we mean by rehabilitation?

An activity or process that:

• Promotes improved health and quality of life e.g. improving mobility, increased energy, improving mental health,

sexual health, access to income security, employment opportunities; community participation

• Helps to manage, reduce or prevent health and life related problems of a specific condition e.g. managing or eliminating pain, conserving energy, lesseningfatigue, reducing barriers to employment; preventingother health conditions or emergencies (e.g. heart attack, brokenbones, diabetes, depression, anxiety, dementia)

7

Increasing Access to Rehabilitation Why?

In general - a crucial issue in health care reform – Aging population, people living longer– Increasing incidence and impact of chronic conditions – Potential of rehabilitation not being recognized or

realized– Decreasing and inequitable access adversely affects

more people – Some access barriers specific to HIV; many others -

similar to people with other chronic / ‘episodic’ disabilities (including HIV related co-morbidities)

1 8

Increasing Access to Rehabilitation

A multi-pronged approach

1. Education• teaching people (care providers and patients/clients) about

the role, benefits and opportunities of rehabilitation

2. Research • E.g. how people currently use rehabilitation, health benefits

and economic savings of increased access, policy barriers and facilitators

9

Increasing access to rehabilitation

3. Policy change • trends in health care, privatization / de-listing of services,

integrated care continuum, eligibility criteria, access to rehabilitation through home care, chronic disease prevention and management, rural vs urban, etc.

4. Integrated Programs • Integrating rehabilitation into front line programs–

community health centres and clinics, other publicly funded models, home care

10

Increasing access to rehabilitation

2012 Discussion Paper:

Equitable Access to Rehabilitation – building the network - many partners working with us - consultations, discussion groups, meetings with policy makers, health care providers, people with HIV and other chronic and episodic conditions

11

Tell us your stories and ideas

• What are the main trends related to access you’ve seen in your work

• How has this affected your work?

• Best practices – examples in policy and programming

• What we’ve heard so far– The good, the bad and the ugly…..

12

Moving forward – working together

• Other current initiatives/ campaigns?• Priorities for moving forward• What we can / will do• Building the conversation and the network • Strategies to reach others.• To help coordinate, host or participate in a

consultation session – let us know.• Staying connected and involved

13

For more information….

Canadian Working Group on HIV

and Rehabilitation (CWGHR)

www.hivandrehab.ca

416- 513–0440