Transforming Institutional Long-Term Care to Embrace Community Aging in Place: The Nursing Home Without Walls Program

BACKGROUND: Long-term care facilities extending services to the community is an innovative and viable solution to enable the aging at home goal. The concept of Nursing Homes Without Walls was tested in four communities in New Brunswick. The overall goal was to support older adults and their caregivers to age in place. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Using an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected to measure and appreciate how NHWW would (1) allow participants to age in place; (2) provide services and/or support with which participants would be satisfied; and (3) describe the degree to which project sites became an age-friendly community. FINDINGS: Findings indicate that participants felt supported, that services and information were accessible, along with an increased level of satisfaction with social interactions, as well as feelings of security, and a high level of satisfaction with the services. DISCUSSION: This evidence-based approach was successful in supporting older adults to age in place.