Home care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: impact of the Iqaluit program

The Iqaluit home care program, which began in February 1987, has a five year history. Data about hospitalization of five elderly persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are available for the five years before and the five years after the program. Data for some of these years are available for four other COPD clients who joined the program in 1987 and for seven others who joined the program after its inception. The health histories of these sixteen people presented an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the effects of Home Care programs in the Northwest Territories. Home care in Iqaluit was evaluated by interviews with clients and care givers, by analyzing the trend in admission to hospital and hospitalization days for each client. The study showed that home care 1) improved health and reduced the economic impact of COPD by reducing the average number of days in hospital for each episode of hospitalization; 2) allowed clients with COPD to experience a better quality of life than they would if in hospital or institutional long term care; 3) allowed people to live in their homes, with their families, taking part in their usual age and role-appropriate cultural activities, language and daily life.