Nursing Home Without Walls spreads across Canada to help more older adults age where they call home

Nearly 90 percent of New Brunswick participants say Nursing Home Without Walls (NHWW) helped them remain at home. Building on this success, Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) is now supporting organizations in four provinces to bring this proven, community-based approach to more older adults across the country.  

By reaching older adults earlier and more proactively, NHWW helps reduce pressure on hospitals and long-term care systems while contributing to more connected, sustainable care closer to home. Participating organizations report stronger collaboration with community partners, increased staff confidence supporting healthy aging and a greater ability to drive day-to-day improvements.

HEC is working alongside participating organizations to help tailor to their local context by providing funding, hands-on support and the practical know-how to adapt and implement NHWW based on local needs and priorities.

Current partners include the Government of New Brunswick, AdvantAge Ontario, the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice in British Columbia and the Saskatchewan Health Authority, with additional communities and organizations expected to join as implementation expands.

Extending care, connection and support beyond the walls of traditional long-term care

Originally developed in New Brunswick by Dr. Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard in partnership with Université de Moncton, Nursing Home Without Walls (NHWW) has expanded from four pilot sites to 36 locations across the province.

“Older people in New Brunswick want to stay connected to their communities and the people and places that matter most to them. Nursing Home Without Walls helps make that possible by bringing care and practical supports directly to seniors. By expanding this innovative model, we are improving quality of life, reducing isolation, and ensuring seniors have access to the services they need to live with dignity and independence,” said The Honourable Stephanie McLean, Secretary of State (Seniors).

NHWW enables nursing home teams to support older adults living at home through services such as wellness checks, system navigation, social connection and practical supports like transportation. The model is intentionally flexible and allows provinces, territories and communities to adapt implementation based on local needs, geography and existing services.

“We know many older adults want to remain in their homes and communities as they age, and Nursing Home Without Walls is demonstrating how existing long-term care expertise can be mobilized differently to better support older adults in their communities,” said Jennifer Zelmer, President and CEO of Healthcare Excellence Canada. “By helping spread and adapt this proven model across Canada, we’re supporting communities to build more connected care closer to home.”

"By supporting Healthcare Excellence Canada to expand the successful Nursing Home Without Walls model across the country, we are empowering older adults to continue living safely and independently in their own homes and communities,” said The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health.

Supporting people, communities and care teams

To advance implementation across Canada, HEC is convening a community of practice to enable participating organizations to share learning and implementation insights. Partners are also connected to evidence, coaching and practical guidance to help adapt the model to local contexts and priorities.

NHWW is being implemented at different stages across Canada. While the model is well established in New Brunswick, other regions are in earlier phases of implementation and are working with local partners to explore how the model can best support their communities.

This work reflects HEC’s commitment to advancing safe, connected, high-quality care closer to home through Care Forward - a growing movement of people across the country working together to improve healthcare quality and safety across Canada. Additional funding for the scaling of this program was provided by Waltons Trust.