Research Spotlight March 20, 2026 What are the main research areas you’re currently exploring? My current research focuses on Transitions in Care for Older Adults who are living in the community – focusing on the individual patient journey, including patients who are in the hospital waiting to transfer back to the community. This research will help answer questions such as where they were living before coming into hospital, why they were admitted, the length of time they are in hospital, and what supports they are waiting for. What inspired you to focus your research interest? My focus in geriatric medicine is to help older adults live well.There are many older adults in our hospitals waiting extended periods of time to be transferred to nursing homes and they deserve access to the care they need in a timely manner. This also adds pressure on our system, and everyone feels the impact including long waits in the emergency departments, delayed surgeries, and a struggle to ensure timely access to health care. How does your research translate into better care for Horizon patients and clients? This research will shed more light on the patient journey so we can better understand what their needs were in the community before coming into hospital. It is important to understand how our health and social care systems can support older adults in their own homes and facilitate transfer to higher levels of care without needing to be admitted to hospital. How do you involve patients, families, or care teams in your research? All of our research is focused on and will include interviews with patients, families and their care teams. This will add to the evidence so informed decisions can be made to help older adults in the community, and the care teams both in the community and hospital. Why is research important for improving care? It is expected that the number of people in need of health and social care will increase over at least the next two decades. We need to find better ways to help older adults age with dignity by getting the right supports at the right time. Finding ways to help those in need is of paramount importance now and into the future. Research is a very important part of caring so we can always strive to do better. What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing research at Horizon? Horizon is a wonderful place to do clinical research. They are committed to advancing best practices and evidence informed care. The Research Services team is there to facilitate researchers and students, setting them up for success. Horizon encourages and facilitates collaborative research across sectors and between many different professionals. Everyone works together with the same goal of the best possible care for our patients. Dr. Pamela Jarrett, Geriatrician