We have released results from our 2024 Home Care Client Experience Survey.
The provincial survey report and a summary document are publicly available online at www.hqa.ca/homecare
The survey reached out to more home and community care clients than ever before, capturing the voices of 10,690of a possible 27,808 individuals who rely on various home care services in Alberta – a 38 per cent response rate.
“Listening to those who receive care is an invaluable tool to gain insight into what we can do to ensure quality care for all in Alberta,” says Dr. David Zygun, CEO, Health Quality Alberta. “These results can help providers identify and address issues to enhance service delivery.”
Key opportunities for improvement shared by home and community care clients include:
- Clients want to have the same staff to develop trusting relationships and to have care consistency.
- Clients need to understand and be understood by their team to participate as partners in their care.
- Clients identified opportunities to enhance people-centred care and attend to social determinants of health, which include unmet service needs beyond those offered by home and community care.
The survey results reveal many strengths to the home and community care program in Alberta, as well as opportunities to improve overall client experience.
In the report, the Overall Care Rating is the measure of overall client experience. Over half of clients (55 per cent) rated their overall home and community care experience as great (9 or 10 out of 10), 41 per cent reported their overall experience as mediocre (5 – 8 out of 10) and 4 per cent as unacceptable (0 – 4 out of 10).
Clients who live in rural locations reported having more positive experiences with home and community care than those who live in urban locations (e.g., Red Deer, Lethbridge), and in the metro locations of Calgary and Edmonton.
Health Quality Alberta actively engages with government, organizational leadership and teams, and offices of home and community care about the survey results and recommendations for improvement. Teams who provide home and community care also received tailored reports specific to input from their clients. These reports can be used for ongoing quality improvement.
“The survey results highlight that home and community care is a partnership. All involved hold responsibility to contribute to its ongoing improvement,” adds Dr. Zygun. “The information in the report can be used by decision-makers, leaders, and providers of home and community to inform improvements. Individuals who rely on home and community care services, and their caregivers may also use this information to facilitate conversations with their home and community care provider, case manager, or staff.”
Health Quality Alberta conducted this survey between April and September 2024 in collaboration with Alberta Health – including members from the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services and Alberta Health Services.
Home and community care includes publicly funded professional health and personal care services that help clients live safely and independently in their own homes or communities. Settings where clients receive care are diverse, ranging from a private residence, seniors lodge, community clinic, or adult day program. Services may be received for short-term or long-term durations.