Using More Equitable Integrated Care Programs to Reduce Fragmentation in Home Care

Abstract

Integrated care programs have been developed to deliver care across providers, settings, and support systems to meet the needs of community-dwelling older adults. This research asks how these programs are being used to combat issues of fragmentation in a home care sector fundamentally reshaped by neoliberalism. Data was collected through 118 key informant interviews in five Canadian integrated care programs and interpreted using a thematic analysis informed by Feminist Political Economy. This dissertation argues that integrated care programs are most useful as a policy solution to fragmented home care when they adopt policy techniques that promote equitable processes and outcomes.

Keywords

• equity
• fragmentation
• home care
• integrated care
• neoliberalism
• older adults