Enhancing community-oriented care: Implementation of social prescribing within a family health team

Abstract

High quality comprehensive primary care is essential for the health and well-being of individuals and communities, but the provision of health services is inadequate to fully address these needs. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with poor health outcomes and are increasingly prevalent among older adults. The St. Michael's Hospital Academic Family Health Team, a large interdisciplinary primary care organization that serves approximately 55,000 people in the downtown east of Toronto, Ontario, developed and implemented a social prescribing program to support socially isolated and lonely older adults. This article reports the development of that program-called SEED (Seniors, Equity, Engagement, and Dignity)-and describes opportunities and challenges and some preliminary results from the first year. By supporting people in new ways, this program aims to reduce loneliness and social isolation, increase capacity within the family health team, and support diverse older adults to live fulfilling lives.

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