Being pro-active in meeting the needs of suicide-bereaved survivors: results from a systematic audit in Montréal

Abstract Background Suicide is a major public health concern. In 2017, the suicide rate in Canada was 11 per 100,000 inhabitants. According to literature, 1 in 5 people have experienced a death by suicide during their lifetime. The aim of this study was to describe the met and unmet needs of suicide-bereaved survivors and to provide postvention recommendations. Methods Further to an exploratory mixed-method audit of 39 suicides that occurred in Montreal (Canada) in 2016, suicide-bereaved survivors (n = 29) participated in semi-structured interviews and completed instruments to discuss and assess potential pathological grief, depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7), as well as health and social services utilization. A panel then reviewed each case and provided recommendations. The mean age of participants was 57.7 years and 23 were women. Results Although help was offered initially, in most cases by a health professional or service provider (16/29), 22 survivors would have liked to be contacted by telephone in the first 2 months post suicide. Four categories of individual unmet needs (medical/pharmacological, information, support, and outreach) and one collective unmet need (suicide pre/postvention training and delivery) emerged. Conclusions Although Quebec provincial services have been developed and offered to suicide-bereaved survivors in the past decade, many dwindled over time and none has been applied systematically. Recommendations for different stakeholders (Ministry of Health and Social Services, coroners, NGOs, and representatives of suicide-bereaved survivors) outlined in this study could be an interesting first step to help develop a suicide pre/postvention strategy.

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Being Pro-Active in Meeting the Needs of Suicide-Bereaved Survivors: results from a systematic audit in Montréal

10.21203/rs.3.rs-17474/v4 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fabienne LIGIER ◽

Jessica Rassy ◽

Gabrielle Fortin ◽

Ian van Haaster ◽

Claude Doyon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Unmet Needs ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Information Support ◽

Health Concern ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Services Utilization ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Pathological Grief ◽

Suicide Bereaved

Abstract Background: Suicide is a major public health concern. In 2017, the suicide rate in Canada was 11 per 100 000 inhabitants. According to literature, 1 in 5 people have experienced a death by suicide during their lifetime. The aim of this study was to describe the met and unmet needs of suicide-bereaved survivors and to provide postvention recommendations. Methods: Further to an exploratory mixed-method audit of 39 suicides that occurred in Montreal (Canada) in 2016, suicide-bereaved survivors (n = 29) participated in semi-structured interviews and completed instruments to discuss and assess potential pathological grief, depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7), as well as health and social services utilization. A panel then reviewed each case and provided recommendations. The mean age of participants was 57.7 years and 23 were women.Results: Although help was offered initially, in most cases by a health professional or service provider (16/29), 22 survivors would have liked to be contacted by telephone in the first two months post suicide. Four categories of individual unmet needs (medical/pharmacological, information, support, and outreach) and one collective unmet need (suicide pre/postvention training and delivery) emerged. Conclusions: Although Quebec provincial services have been developed and offered to suicide-bereaved survivors in the past decade, many dwindled over time and none has been applied systematically. Recommendations for different stakeholders (Ministry of Health and Social Services, coroners, NGOs, and representatives of suicide-bereaved survivors) outlined in this study could be an interesting first step to help develop a suicide pre/postvention strategy.

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Being Pro-Active in Meeting the Needs of Suicide-Bereaved Survivors: results from a systematic audit in Montreal

10.21203/rs.3.rs-17474/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fabienne LIGIER ◽

Jessica Rassy ◽

Gabrielle Fortin ◽

Ian van Haaster ◽

Claude Doyon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Unmet Needs ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Information Support ◽

Health Concern ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

The Past ◽

Pathological Grief ◽

Suicide Bereaved

Abstract Background Suicide is a major public health concern that affects some 3,500 individuals a year in Canada. According to the literature, each suicide affects an average of six people. The aim of this study was to describe the met and unmet needs of suicide-bereaved survivors and to formulate postvention recommendations. Methods In the context of an exploratory mixed-methods audit of 39 suicides that occurred in Montreal (Canada) in 2016, suicide-bereaved survivors ( n = 29) participated in semi-structured interviews and completed instruments to assess pathological grief, depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Results Mean age of participants was 57.7 years; 23 were women. Although help was offered initially, in most cases by a health professional or service provider (16/29), 22 survivors would have liked to be contacted by telephone in the first two months post suicide. Four categories of individual unmet needs (medical/pharmacological, information, support, and outreach) and one collective unmet need (suicide pre/postvention training and delivery) emerged. Conclusions Although there have been provincial initiatives in favor of suicide-bereaved survivors in the past decade, many dwindled over time and none has been applied systematically. Recommendations for different stakeholders (Ministry of Health and Social Services, coroners, NGOs, and representatives of suicide-bereaved survivors) outlined in this study could be an interesting first step to help develop a provincial suicide pre/postvention strategy.

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Being Pro-Active in Meeting the Needs of Suicide-Bereaved Survivors: results from an audit in Montreal

10.21203/rs.3.rs-17474/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fabienne LIGIER ◽

Jessica Rassy ◽

Gabrielle Fortin ◽

Ian van Haaster ◽

Claude Doyon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Unmet Needs ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Information Support ◽

Health Concern ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Research Committee ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Ethics Research ◽

Suicide Bereaved

Abstract Background: Suicide is a major public health concern. In 2017, the suicide rate in Canada was 11 per 100 000 inhabitants. According to the literature, 1 in 5 people have experienced a death by suicide during their lifetime. The aim of this study was to describe the met and unmet needs of suicide-bereaved survivors and to formulate postvention recommendations. Methods: Further to an exploratory mixed-method audit of 39 suicides that occurred in Montreal (Canada) in 2016, suicide-bereaved survivors (n = 29) participated in semi-structured interviews and completed instruments to discuss and assess potential pathological grief, depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7), as well as health and social services utilization. A panel then reviewed each case and formulated recommendations. The mean age of participants was 57.7 years and 23 were women.Results: Although help was offered initially, in most cases by a health professional or service provider (16/29), 22 survivors would have liked to be contacted by telephone in the first two months post suicide. Four categories of individual unmet needs (medical/pharmacological, information, support, and outreach) and one collective unmet need (suicide pre/postvention training and delivery) emerged. Conclusions: Although provincial services have been developed and offered to suicide-bereaved survivors in the past decade, many dwindled over time and none has been applied systematically. Recommendations for different stakeholders (Ministry of Health and Social Services, coroners, NGOs, and representatives of suicide-bereaved survivors) outlined in this study could be an interesting first step to help develop a provincial suicide pre/postvention strategy.Trial registration: The research protocol was approved by the Scientific Committee of the Montreal Mental Health Institute (November 6, 2018) and the publication of results was approved by its Ethics Research Committee (February 1, 2019), project number 2019-1647.

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Being Pro-Active in Meeting the Needs of Suicide-Bereaved Survivors: results from an audit in Montreal

10.21203/rs.3.rs-17474/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fabienne LIGIER ◽

Jessica Rassy ◽

Gabrielle Fortin ◽

Ian van Haaster ◽

Claude Doyon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Unmet Needs ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Information Support ◽

Health Concern ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Research Committee ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Ethics Research ◽

Suicide Bereaved

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A Postcolonial Discourse Analysis of Community Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Supporting Urban Indigenous Older Adults to Age Well in Ottawa, Canada

International Indigenous Policy Journal ◽

10.18584/iipj.2020.11.1.9443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lauren A. Brooks-Cleator ◽

Audrey R. Giles

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Discourse Analysis ◽

Social Services ◽

Service Providers ◽

Indigenous Health ◽

Adult Population ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Community Stakeholders ◽

Postcolonial Discourse

The urban Indigenous older adult population in Canada continues to grow; however, there is a lack of understanding of how non-Indigenous health and social services and Indigenous-specific organizations are responding to and addressing the growth of this population. Therefore, in this research, we conducted a postcolonial discourse analysis of semi-structured interviews with six decision-makers (e.g., managers and directors of health and social services organizations) and seven service providers (e.g., program coordinators and social workers) from Indigenous and non-Indigenous health and social service organizations in Ottawa, Canada, to examine how they produce understandings of supporting urban Indigenous older adults to age well. The participants produced three main discourses: (a) non-Indigenous organizations have a responsibility to support Indigenous older adults, (b) culturally specific programs and services are important for supporting Indigenous older adults to age well, and (c) it is difficult for community stakeholders to support Indigenous older adults to age well because this population is hard to reach. The results demonstrate the complexities and tensions that community stakeholders face in supporting Indigenous older adults to age well within a sociopolitical environment informed by reconciliation and a sociodemographic trend of an aging population.

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Is longer waiting time associated with health and social services utilization before treatment? A randomized study

Journal of Health Services Research & Policy ◽

10.1258/135581907782101606 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 209-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Johanna Hirvonen ◽

Marja Blom ◽

Ulla Tuominen ◽

Seppo Seitsalo ◽

Matti Lehto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Informal Care ◽

Home Health Care ◽

Waiting Time ◽

Joint Replacement ◽

Randomized Study ◽

Utilization Rate ◽

Services Utilization ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Joint Replacement Surgery

Objective: To determine whether longer waiting time for major joint replacement is associated with health and social services utilization before treatment. Methods: When placed on the waiting list, patients were randomized to short (≤3 months) or a non-fixed waiting time. Utilization measures were the use of home health care, rehabilitation and social services before treatment. Results: A total of 833 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee joint were recruited into the study. Six hundred and twenty-two patients were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were not using any services before hospital admission for joint replacement surgery. The most commonly used service was unpaid home help provided by relatives, neighbours, friends and volunteers (informal care). In both groups, private support services were utilized more often than public ones. Patients with a short waiting time were more likely than those with a non-fixed waiting time to use rehabilitation (13.5% versus 8.2%, P = 0.032) and visiting care services (7.5% versus 3.9%, P = 0.054). Conclusions: Only a few patients used professional care. They were more likely to require informal care during the waiting time. A longer waiting time did not result in a higher utilization rate before admission for treatment.

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Patterns of Health and Social Services Utilization

Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement ◽

10.1017/s071498080001117x ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 19-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

François Béland

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Social Services ◽

The Elderly ◽

Support Network ◽

Pension Scheme ◽

Small Subset ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Services Utilization ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Two Samples

ABSTRACTUtilization of an array of health and social services from formal and informal sources is studied here 1) to identify profiles of services utilization and 2) to predict the location of elderly in these profiles by a set of independent variables such as the sociodemographic characteristics of the elderly, their physical and mental health status and the density of their social support network. Two samples of non-institutionalized elderly living in two middle-sized towns were drawn from the universal old-age Canadian pension scheme. Their utilization of hospital, medical and pharmaceutical services was assessed, and their use of services for help with adivities of daily living was measured by a set of six indicators. A cluster analysis was run to identify profites of services utilization, and a discriminant analysis used the profiles as the criterion to be predicted by a set of variables. Five profiles of utilization were obtained; four of them identified elderly with very few experiences of services utilization and a fifth, a low number of elderly with utilization of all of the services listed in this study. Most of the elderly were users of a small subset of medical and social services. The location of elderly in the profiles was predicted by physical health status, coresidence and income. These results show that health and social services from both formal and informal sources are utilized by elderly. It is suggested that new types of formal agencies which consider the simultaneous delivery of social and health services will succeed inasmuch as they have the ability to interact with a system of informal care.

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Assessment of the Older Person in the Community

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.2190/t4ae-lfyt-b94a-m6fv ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Barry Gurland ◽

John Copeland ◽

Lawrence Sharpe ◽

Michael Kelleher ◽

Judith Kuriansky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Social Services ◽

The United States ◽

Older Person ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Metropolitan Regions ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Community Residents ◽

Assessment Techniques ◽

Cross National

The Cross-National Geriatric Community study is being conducted by the United States-United Kingdom Cross-National Project. Semi-structured interviews have been completed with over 850 community residents over the age of sixty-five years randomly selected from the metropolitan regions of New York and London. The assessment techniques described in this section may be of interest not only to other research workers conducting geriatric community surveys but also to health professionals concerned with the clinical examination of the older ambulatory patient and the early detection and appropriate referral of the need for health and social services.

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Trauma and Violence Informed Care Through Decolonising Interagency Partnerships: A Complexity Case Study of Waminda’s Model of Systemic Decolonisation

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17207363 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (20) ◽

pp. 7363

Author(s):

Patricia Cullen ◽

Tamara Mackean ◽

Faye Worner ◽

Cleone Wellington ◽

Hayley Longbottom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Collective Learning ◽

Indigenous Research ◽

Power Structures ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Indigenous Research Methods ◽

Shared Language ◽

Emerging Themes

Through the lens of complexity, we present a nested case study describing a decolonisation approach developed and implemented by Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation. Using Indigenous research methods, this case study has unfolded across three phases: (1) Yarning interviews with the workforce from four partner health services (n = 24); (2) Yarning circle bringing together key informants from yarning interviews to verify and refine emerging themes (n = 14); (3) Semi-structured interviews with a facilitator of Waminda’s Decolonisation Workshop (n = 1) and participants (n = 10). Synthesis of data has been undertaken in stages through collaborative framework and thematic analysis. Three overarching themes and eight sub-themes emerged that centred on enhancing the capabilities of the workforce and strengthening interagency partnerships through a more meaningful connection and shared decolonisation agenda that centres Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. Health and social services are complex systems that function within the context of colonisation. Waminda’s innovative, model of interagency collaboration enhanced workforce capability through shared language and collective learning around colonisation, racism and Whiteness. This process generated individual, organisational and systemic decolonisation to disable power structures through trauma and violence informed approach to practice.

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Shining Light and Creating Solutions: Health and Social Needs of Older Affordable Housing Residents

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2390 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 685-685

Author(s):

Lori Simon-Rusinowitz ◽

C Daniel Mullins ◽

Karen Morales ◽

Rodney Elliott ◽

Constance Raab

Keyword(s):

Social Services ◽

Affordable Housing ◽

Low Income ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Needs ◽

Advisory Group ◽

Service Needs ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

Community Advisory Group

Abstract Aging within a community requires access to health and social services. This project lays the groundwork for an innovative, three-part health and social services intervention intended to improve the health and well-being of older affordable housing residents in a low-income, vulnerable Baltimore neighborhood. We will report on the first part, an assessment of residents’ unmet health and social service needs and their ideas for meeting these needs. With guidance from a community advisory group of older residents (a key program component), we are conducting structured interviews with 50 elders to identify residents’ needs and interests. These findings will inform the next project segments: Part 2- exploring how the Village model (in which neighbors identify and offer needed services to help their neighbors age within a community) can be adapted for an affordable housing setting, and Part 3- adapting an evidence-based housing-plus-services model to meet older residents’ unmet needs.

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