Healthcare Pillar
Prehabilitation Research Stream
Helping Older Adults Prepare for Surgery Before It Happens
Preparing for surgery doesn’t begin in the operating room. This research explores how exercise, nutrition, and psychosocial supports can improve surgical readiness, support recovery, and help older adults remain independent after surgery, particularly in rural Nova Scotia.
Why This Research Matters
Many older adults spend weeks or months waiting for surgery. During this time, physical strength, mobility, and confidence can decline, making recovery more difficult once surgery takes place.
Prehabilitation uses this waiting period as an opportunity to help people become stronger before surgery through physical activity, nutritional support, and psychosocial strategies. By improving readiness before an operation, prehabilitation has the potential to reduce complications, shorten recovery time, and support healthier aging at home.
Our Goals
Understand Current Needs
Review existing evidence and identify the barriers rural older adults face when preparing for surgery.
Co-Design Better Programs
Work alongside older adults, clinicians, and communities to design practical prehabilitation supports.
Develop Rural Solutions
Create interdisciplinary prehabilitation modules that fit the realities of rural living.
Evaluate Impact
Pilot and refine the program to understand its feasibility, effectiveness, and potential for wider implementation.
Our Research Timeline
Year 1
Understand the Landscape
- Review current evidence
- Analyze existing healthcare data
- Interview older adults and healthcare providers
- Identify barriers to accessing prehabilitation
Year 1-2
Co-Design Solutions
- Community workshops
- Participatory design sessions
- Develop systems maps
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals
Year 2-3
Build the Program
- Develop interdisciplinary modules
- Integrate exercise, nutrition, and psychosocial supports
- Refine program resources
Year 3
Pilot & Refine
- Test the program
- Assess feasibility
- Improve based on participant feedback
- Prepare for broader implementation
Year 3+
Bring It Together
- Combine qualitative findings
- Integrate GIS mapping
- Merge quantitative analyses
- Create a holistic systems map of rural prehabilitation in Nova Scotia
Our Research Focus
We examine the key areas that affect aging in the right place in rural Nova Scotian communities.
Physical Preparation
- Strength and mobility
- Balance
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Functional independence
Nutrition
- Protein intake
- Malnutrition risk
- Nutrition education
- Oral nutritional supplements
Psychosocial Support
- Anxiety management
- Behaviour change
- Peer support
- Confidence before surgery
Rural Healthcare Access
- Transportation barriers
- Geographic isolation
- Access to allied health
- Rural program delivery
Expected Impact
Our research aims to create meaningful, lasting benefits for older adults, communities and the healthcare system.
Better Surgical Readiness
Older adults enter surgery stronger, healthier, and better prepared.
Faster Recovery
Improved mobility, independence, and recovery after surgery.
Reduced Postoperative Complications
Decrease the risk of complications following surgery.
Improved Quality of Life
Support physical, nutritional, and emotional well-being before and after surgery.
More Accessible Rural Care
Develop practical prehabilitation approaches that can work across rural Nova Scotia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is prehabilitation?
Prehabilitation is the process of preparing for surgery before it happens. Unlike rehabilitation, which begins after an operation, prehabilitation focuses on improving a person’s physical health, nutrition, and emotional well-being during the time leading up to surgery. By using this waiting period to build strength and resilience, prehabilitation can help older adults feel better prepared for surgery, recover more quickly, and reduce the risk of postoperative complications.
Who can benefit from prehabilitation?
Prehabilitation can benefit many people preparing for surgery, but it is especially valuable for older adults. As people age, surgery and recovery can become more challenging, particularly if strength, mobility, or nutrition have declined while waiting for an operation. This research focuses on older adults living in rural Nova Scotia, where barriers such as distance, transportation, and limited access to healthcare services can make it more difficult to access pre-surgical supports.
What does a prehabilitation program include?
Effective prehabilitation goes beyond exercise alone. It combines physical activity to improve strength, balance, and endurance with nutritional support to promote healthy recovery and psychosocial strategies that help build confidence, reduce anxiety, and encourage healthy behaviours. Together, these components help older adults prepare both physically and mentally for surgery, supporting better outcomes before, during, and after their procedure.
How will this research improve care?
This research will work with older adults, caregivers, healthcare providers, and community partners to design and evaluate prehabilitation approaches that are practical for rural settings. By combining community perspectives with healthcare data and systems mapping, the project will create evidence-based recommendations that can improve access to pre-surgical supports, strengthen recovery, and help more older adults remain healthy and independent in their communities.
Explore Other Research Streams
Economic Support Stream
Examining how economic investments impact aging in the right place in rural Nova Scotia.
Post-Surgical Care Stream
Improving recovery and outcomes after surgery through monitoring, support, and follow-up care.