James Brotherhood, 77 years old, broke his hip and began navigating our health care system. Often, this can be a tough journey, but thanks to the innovative Bruyère@Home program, it's becoming much easier for older adults to transition from hospital to home safely and quickly. Bruyère@Home is helping bridge the gap between hospital care and home life, ensuring people like James get back to where they belong with the support they need.
Bruyère@Home is a collaboration between Bruyère, Eastern Ontario's leader in aging, rehabilitation, and complex care, and Carefor Health & Community Services, a trusted provider of high-quality home care.
James' experience is familiar to many. A fall leads to a hospital stay, then weeks or months in rehabilitation, followed by discharge home or to long-term care. But when a patient is well enough to leave the hospital but not quite ready for home, that's when things can get tricky.
After James broke his hip—“it was like a piece of wood," he explained—he couldn't move. Though he regained some mobility, the idea of going home to a two-story house was overwhelming. Bruyère@Home made this transition smoother, offering James 16 weeks of support, including physiotherapy and help with daily activities like dressing and bathing.
“This injury has been really hard," James said. “Without these services, my life would be miserable. It's like gold. It's been very valuable to me."
James' story is not unique. Many older adults and their families face the same challenges every day across our province. Bruyère@Home is easing this worry by focusing on the patient first, providing personalized support that can be adjusted to their changing level of need to help them stay home with confidence.
When James began his treatments with Bruyère@Home, he was concerned that his goals of being able to go back to Goodlife Fitness and being able to climb the stairs wouldn't be achievable, leaving him in a permanent state of reduced mobility. At the 10-week mark he achieved both these goals and now has a greater sense of what is possible to achieve.
This "at-home model" doesn't just benefit patients—it's also making a big difference for our health care system. It has reduced hospital readmissions and shortened the number of days patients stay at Bruyère receiving an alternate level of care (ALC). According to Health Quality Ontario, 13 per cent of Ontario patients receiving home care were readmitted within 30 days of leaving the hospital, while only 5.7 per cent of Bruyère@Home patients were readmitted. The program has also significantly cut down ALC days, saving an average of 2.2 days per case. For the over 400 people who have benefited from this program, this translates to over $400,000 in savings.
Bruyère@Home is more than just a program—it's a game-changer for patients and for the health care system as a whole. By providing the right care at the right time, in the right place, we're empowering people like James to regain their independence and confidence while easing the pressure on hospitals. Through this initiative, we're proving that innovative, patient-centered solutions have real impact. Together, we are shaping a future where quality care meets people where they are, ensuring healthier outcomes and a stronger system for all.