PETRO-CANADA CAREMAKERS PROUDLY ANNOUNCES 21 NATIONAL GRANT RECIPIENTS ACROSS CANADA

The Oladele Foundation – The Oladele Foundation Caregivers Support Initiative

The Oladele Foundation Caregivers Support Initiative is designed to support caregivers of cancer patients/survivors, particularly those in the African/Black Community. Our initiative has four parts: training workshops focused on mental health, nutritional support for cancer patients, and assessing community resources; group self-care activities: a day at the spa, cooking for inclusion, and lunch and a stroll in the park; respite care support to relieve caregivers for a day, allowing them to rest and recharge, thereby enhancing their ability to and thus ensure that they can provide adequate care for their loved ones; and the development and launch of our African Caregivers Toolkit that provides essential cancer information and caregiving resources tailored to the needs of the Black community.

Alberta Caregivers Association – Canadian Caregiver Collaborative: Pioneering Leadership, Innovation and Action

This project stems from the Canadian Caregiver Collaboratives’ experiences in leading provincial caregiver organizations and building upon the existing collaborative work taking place in Canada. There is excellent work in health and aging, however, the caregiver lens specifically is often to the side. This project will bring together thought leaders, caregiver subject matter experts and people who are or have been family and friend caregivers to address the need for systemic change while improving supports for caregivers.

Wellspring Alberta – Caregiver Wellbeing Enhancement Initiative

Wellspring Alberta offers a comprehensive array of programs and services designed to support individuals affected by cancer, including caregivers. Our initiatives are characterized by inclusivity, accessibility, and a commitment to equitable support, ensuring they are available to anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background. These resources are offered in-person, online and over the phone, free of charge, and are centred around the six pillars of Exercise, Self-development, Symptom management, Therapeutic arts, Finance, and Individual and group support.

At Wellspring, caregivers are encouraged to participate in all programs, regardless of whether the person they care for is enrolled. We understand that caregivers navigate distinct journeys and require specialized support, and our holistic approach aims to enhance their wellbeing and resilience throughout their caregiving experience.

Stigma-Free Society – Empowering Caregivers: Stigma-Free Mental Health

With the generous support of the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation, we are expanding our youth and rural toolkits to enhance the dedicated Parents/Caregiver and family sections. SFMHS is also aiming to create opportunities for emotional support via webinars and awareness through a docuseries. This initiative aims to provide additional crucial support and resources to parents and caregivers, enhancing their ability to nurture youth mental health effectively.

British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital Foundation – Young Sibling Peer Support Network

The Sibling Support Centre & Services aims to foster collaboration among existing pediatric support services and to establish support where none currently exists. Focused on British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon, our project endeavours to aid both rural and urban communities across Western Canada. The dearth of sibling resources in these regions, compounded by dispersed populations, has hindered the development of comprehensive support systems for families utilizing BC Children’s Hospital.

With the support of CareMakers Foundation, the foundation is offering free online sibling peer support group programming over a four year pilot period with five community partners. As the originating organization, BC Children’s Hospital is committed to hosting one of the peer support programs.

Capital Region Mental Health & Addictions Association, Inc. – Caregivers Support and Resource Development

We’ve recently had our funding reduced for our caregiver supports. Your funding would allow us to keep our Caregiver support group, advocacy and navigational supports running and also develop Training for Caregivers around psychological safety, mental health intervention and self care to be delivered free of charge.

Inclusion New Brunswick Inc. / Inclusion Nouveau-Brunswick Inc. – Caregivers Connect Program

The Caregivers Connect Program will focus on building pathways of shared experiences so that caregivers can lean on and learn from one another. will create opportunities designed specifically for caregivers to come together, share their unique experience, and learn from each other. The intention behind these sessions will be for caregivers to engage with and build meaningful and lasting relationships with others who are on a similar journey and who experience similar barriers. This project will promote “caring for the caregiver” by supporting them to build relationships through mentorship. In addition to providing direct support to 200 caregivers across New Brunswick, the Caregivers Connect Facilitator will provide opportunities for 200 caregivers to build long-lasting relationships through shared experiences, and promote peer mentorship.

Caregivers Nova Scotia Association – The Caregiver’s Handbook Fourth Edition

The Caregiver’s Handbook was developed to meet the needs of unpaid family and friend caregivers in Nova Scotia. Since its first release in 2007, it has been a valuable resource for thousands of caregivers. The handbook includes exercises, checklists, tools, and guidance on various topics such as distance caregiving, legal issues, financial matters, food and nutrition, and services available to caregivers in Nova Scotia. By addressing the systematic challenge of accessibility and providing comprehensive support to a wide range of caregivers and stakeholders, this initiative aims to enhance the caregiving experience across Nova Scotia.

Inclusion Nova Scotia Society – EmpowerCare: Support For Families and Caregivers during the Remedy

EmpowerCare project looks to expand the pilot initiative in Cape Breton across mainland Nova Scotia. This initiative will support and connect families and caregivers of individuals with disabilities through a localized grassroots approach. The Province of Nova Scotia is undergoing transformative changes within the disability support sector due to the Human Rights Case of Discrimination against a person with a disability and the Human Rights Remedy. This project recognizes the critical role of families and caregivers. The project will provide families and caregivers with emotional support, educational workshops, resource navigation, and advocacy. By fostering supportive communities and empowering caregivers with the knowledge and tools they need, EmpowerCare strives to enhance the quality of life for families during this transformative and stressful time. Also, similar to the work in Cape Breton, this project will bring families and caregivers together to build community capacity and advocacy to ensure proper support and respite are provided.

The Governing Council of the University of Toronto – The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Unpaid Caregivers in Canada: An Intersectionality – Informed Study

Unpaid caregiving is a public health issue of increasing importance in Canada. Almost one-third of Canadians provide unpaid personal, psychological, physical, social and financial care to someone with a long-term health condition, a disability, or with increased needs due to aging. The COVID-19 pandemic caused 74 times more deaths in long-term care and retirement homes than for older Canadians living in the community. More Canadians now want to live at home as they age, rather than move to a retirement home or long-term care facility. The number of seniors in Canada is projected to double to over 4.5 million (23.3%) by 2041. Racial and ethnic minority seniors are the fastest growing segment of the aging population, 47% are born outside of Canada and most are from Asia. Also, more than 50% of immigrants to Canada settle in Ontario.

The team at the University of Toronto is currently conducting a Phase 2a study called The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Unpaid Caregivers, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This study builds on a previous CIHR-funded grant where our team conducted a rapid integrated mixed methods systematic review, aimed to describe the mental health and wellbeing of family caregivers during coronavirus outbreaks (Phase 1).

UHN Foundation – Virtual Caregiver Assistant

While engaging with caregivers to complete a comprehensive needs assessment, the project team, comprised of UHN’s Patient Experience team, conducted surveys with over 700 participants and held focus groups to validate the survey results. Based on the results, the team identified an opportunity to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to create a Virtual Caregiver Assistant to ease the transition from hospital to home by providing caregivers personalized support, information, and resources. This transition can be challenging for both patients and caregivers; our aim is to reduce this burden by implementing the Virtual Caregiver Assistant, which will offer immediate guidance that is directly tailored to their individual needs.

Working with digital and website developers, we will develop a web-based application that combines natural language processing and rule-based algorithms to respond to caregivers’ questions through the Virtual Caregiver Assistant. This model will be fine-tuned using vetted resources and data from trusted organizations, including UHN’s Patient and Family Learning Centres and other recognized caregiver-centered groups in Ontario and Canada. We will work with web developers and data analysts to maintain the resource library and ensure the Virtual Caregiver Assistant provides information from UHN-approved sources. Additionally, we will engage with content experts within and outside of UHN to validate the content, ensuring its accuracy and relevance. The Virtual Caregiver Assistant will be an innovative and reliable resource for caregivers during the critical hospital-to-home transition and beyond.

Western University – Supporting Family Caregivers with McCormick Mobile

To best meet the needs of caregivers, McCormick Dementia Services has worked closely with Dr. Marie Savundranayagam (Western University, School of Health Sciences) and Dr. Anna Garnett (Western University, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing) to develop McCormick Mobile. McCormick Mobile is a multi-faceted, 6-week-long program of care that was developed with strong input from experienced caregivers and professionals. The multi-modal program sends professionals into the home to assess the caregiver’s needs and provide more tailored, interdisciplinary education.

McCormick Mobile was developed to support a wider range of family caregivers looking after people living with dementia. Due to physical limitations, time constraints and a variety of other reasons, many of these caregivers are unable to access the existing services that MDS provides in the setting they are currently offered in (a group setting within McCormick Dementia Services). McCormick Mobile meets overburdened caregivers where they’re at without placing another demand on them to attend scheduled programming. The program consists of in home visits by social workers, registered practical nurses, a series of educational videos to assist caregivers, and a training workbook to help participating caregivers gain a sense of confidence in their ability to support a person’s ongoing care needs.

Lakehead University – Walking Alongside Indigenous Peoples who are Seriously Ill: Education for Community Caregivers

In 2022, in response to the need for community caregiver education in Indigenous communities, the CERAH curriculum development team created the “Walking Alongside Indigenous Peoples who are Seriously Ill: Education for Community Caregivers” curriculum. This initial version of the curriculum mainly consisted of a repository of culturally relevant resources (developed either at CERAH or acquired from community partners) intended to help family and community caregivers provide care for a loved one who was seriously ill. This first edition of the curriculum has been disseminated via webinars and academic poster presentations and, most recently, was evaluated for relevancy, applicability, and cultural appropriateness as part of a presentation at the Hospice Palliative Care Ontario Conference (2024).

We will develop an accessible, comprehensive half-day course based on the principles and teachings of Indigenous research, knowledge, and resources where health and social care providers in Indigenous communities can learn how to utilize this curriculum to its full potential so that family and community caregivers can be better supported in their efforts to care for a seriously ill loved one at home. With the support of the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation funding, we intend to enhance Walking Alongside Indigenous Peoples who are Seriously Ill: Education for Community Caregivers so that it is more robust in resources and is better utilized to support family caregivers caring for their loved ones at home, in their community.

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation – Client and Family Centred Care

Client and Family-Centred Care will allow our Client and Family Integrated Care team to continue its unparalleled partnership with current and alumni hospital clients and families/caregivers, Child and Family Leaders, staff, students and external partners in three key areas like the Family Leadership Program (FLP), Family Resource Centre (family education, workshops, and training sessions), and Client and Family Relations (feedback process-concerns and compliments).

In unparalleled partnership with children, youth, families/caregivers and alumni, this grant enables the Client and Family Integrated Care team to serve the educational, clinical and partnership needs of current and alumni clients and families accessing care (inpatient/outpatient), clinicians and researchers in need of CFCC capacity building, and a global community of partners who continue to consult with – and learn from – the team.

St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation – Co-Designing a Model for Culturally Inclusive Digital Parenting Resources for Racialized Families

The primary objective of this project is to increase overall wellness and support among BIPOC caregivers using a social media-based, community-driven wellness promotion program that provides caregivers culturally-relevant resources around caregiving. This program will focus on co-creating and implementing support for caregivers of BIPOC children with a chronic illness or developmental- behavioral concerns. This project will improve overall well-being among caregivers by addressing key determinants of wellness, such as social exclusion and a lack of access to culturally-inclusive caregiving advice and resources. This project will improve caregivers’ overall wellness by co-creating resources with caregivers from marginalized communities.

The Baycrest Centre Foundation – C-CART Connect: Empowering Caregivers with Next-Gen Tools & Knowledge Mobilization

Baycrest is extremely grateful for a grant from the CareMakers Foundation two years ago allowing us to develop, test and evaluate an online caregiver self-assessment and system-navigation tool for caregivers to self-administer, with the goal of finding areas where they are doing well and areas where they need support. This online assessment links caregivers to appropriate types of local/provincial/national resources, leading to tailored, evidence-based information. The Canadian Caregiver Assessment and Resources Tool, or C-CART, is now developed and being refined. It is for Canadian caregivers caring for people in any stage in life, dealing with illnesses, disability or end-of-life issues.

For this new project, we aim to take C-CART to the next level, and propose the amplification of the C-CART through four different new enhancements: 1) Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), 2) deployment of a comprehensive knowledge mobilization strategy to leverage this tool to be used for organizations, and training of healthcare providers and social agencies on “Effective Engagement of Family Caregivers”, 3) making the C-CART available in French, 4) partner with Egale (egale.ca) to co-create resources for the 2SLGBTQI caregiving community.

The Ontario Caregiver Organization – The Rural/Remote Caregiver Initiative

The ‘Caregiving in Rural and Remote Communities’ initiative will help to deepen understanding and elevate the diverse voices of caregivers who live outside of urban and suburban settings. The project will have the following components:

• Two full-day, in-person forums (in Northern Ontario and Southwestern Ontario), each bringing together 30-40 caregivers who rarely have the opportunity to be engaged in this way. The forums will be facilitated in a way that provides a safe space for dialogue and sharing, while removing barriers to participation. Local community organizations will also be represented and will play a key role in identifying caregiver participants with diverse experiences based on their location, spoken language, culture, race, and/or sexual orientation/gender identity.

• Summary report of key learning and insights gained at the forums that will reflect an in-depth understanding of rural Ontario caregivers’ experiences and challenges, where they find support, and a “wish list” of solutions that would be most helpful for them. Whether it be further investment in free local programming, influencing infrastructure or health policy change, access to financial supports etc., OCO will champion these ideas both internally and alongside allied system partners as part of the initiative’s follow-through.

• Development of resources that will share diverse stories and experiences of rural and remote caregiving (through professionally produced “video diaries” or alternate storytelling format). This resource will be used as a supportive resource for caregivers, to help promote caregiver programs, and to inform other organizations and local initiatives.

Parachute Leaders in Injury Prevention – The Caregivers’ Parachute

The Caregiver’s Parachute project will provide family caregivers with essential information to support, empower and arm them immediately with the information, resources and tools to understand and manage the challenges of caring for a loved one who is at risk of a fall or has fallen. To that end, a fall-related injury has lasting impacts on those affected as well as those providing care. Data from Statistics Canada shows nearly 20 per cent of senior caregivers spent 30 hours or more per week providing some form of care to a family member – almost equivalent to a full-time job. A growing body of evidence shows caregiving for an elderly family member can lead to chronic stress, immune dysfunction and subsequent negative health outcomes for the person providing care. Among all adult caregivers, unmet support needs are significantly associated with lower life satisfaction and worse self-reported mental health. Parachute is here to provide that much needed support.

For many, a fall leads to the quick and unplanned transition into a caregiving role, one they are often ill-prepared for and has the potential to significantly change and restrict their lives. Family caregivers are also vulnerable to injuries themselves due to their own age and physical limitations, as well as the limited training they receive in performing caregiving tasks efficiently and safely. As such, information provided through this project will be tailored to promote fall prevention among care-recipients and for caregivers themselves. Specifically, the project will support family caregivers immediately through the following three core approaches, all of which will be co-branded with the Petro Canada CareMakers Foundation and officially recognized on our multi-media platforms. The three parts of the project will be the Caregivers Conversation Series, the Caregivers’ Guide to Fall Prevention, and the Caregivers’ Parachute Podcast. 

Groupe des Aidants du Sud-Ouest – Development Project: Training and Information Modules for Working Caregivers 

This development project aims to create training and information modules to meet the specific needs of working caregivers—individuals who have to balance professional and caregiving responsibilities. In Québec, around 35% of the adult population considers themselves caregivers, representing approximately 2.4 million people. Many of them hail from the “sandwich generation” and simultaneously care for their children and aging parents.

The project involves designing a series of online psychoeducational training modules to provide caregivers with practical strategies and emotional support. They will cover topics including managing feelings of guilt, balancing caregiving with work, and understanding caregivers’ rights under labour standards in Québec. We will create the modules in collaboration with a multimedia agency and an experienced project coordinator. Modules will be available online and on demand so that families can access them flexibly and asynchronously. As part of the launch, we will hire a counsellor in the project’s final phases to provide caregivers with individual support, at their request, after they have completed the modules. The counsellor will help implement the new services in our organization and in partner companies.

The relationships we have built with employers and unions are at the heart of our outreach strategy. They allow us to both raise employer awareness and introduce our modules and services to caregivers, thus establishing support synergies for caregivers in the workforce. By making these resources accessible, the project aims to improve the quality of life of working caregivers, reduce their mental burden, and raise employer awareness of the specific challenges they face. The coordinator will be responsible for canvassing the local area (Greater Southwest Montréal) to identify ten or so companies of different sizes from a variety of sectors. If those responsible so wish, we will launch the project to employees and HR advisors at Petro-Canada.

This approach will also help overcome current challenges in reaching our target audience. We aim to adapt how our services are used and employ communication channels and tools that take into account the constraints caregivers face in their day-to-day lives.

Federation of Québec Alzheimer Societies / Fédération québécoise des Sociétés Alzheimer – Learning to help without forgetting yourself

One of the most significant requests we receive from our community is to inform and equip individuals to properly care for loved ones living with a neurocognitive disorder. Given the progressive nature of Alzheimer’s, families’ needs and questions change along with the disease. Two important stages in the journey of those caring for someone with a neurodegenerative disease are end-of-life care and the post-caregiving period. Caregivers have expressed a desire for better support in these two crucial stages.

End-of-life care encompasses several aspects, including helping loved ones manage pain, anticipate changes, prepare for palliative care, and live the final moments of life with dignity. In the post-caregiving period, caregivers navigate grief and strive to regain control over their lives and identities.

Although end-of-life care and the post-caregiving period are crucial in the caregiver’s journey, counsellors admit to having less expertise here. Our proposed initiative is to train Alzheimer Societies on these two stages so that they can in turn train others and better support the families they serve. Each training session will therefore both educate caregivers and enhance Alzheimer Societies’ level of expertise. Counsellors will thus be better equipped to support, guide, and inform families.

Alliance of Cultural Communities for Equality in Health and Social Services (ACCÉSSS) – Caregiving as an immigrant, now and forever

The project aims to inform, train, support, equip, and raise awareness among caregivers from ethnocultural communities. Due to a variety of obstacles, these individuals do not recognize themselves as caregivers, have little or no access to services, experience exhaustion and depression, and are at risk of no longer being able to support those they care for.

The project aims to raise awareness among members of ethnocultural communities so as to bring their attention to the important role that caregivers play. More importantly, it aims to shed light on the multiple obstacles that caregivers have to overcome to support those they care for. To meet the needs of immigrant caregivers, we will organize awareness campaigns in ethnocultural media and design training workshops, information sessions, and toolkits.

We will organize meetings with caregivers beforehand to identify the most recurrent and challenging obstacles so that our training materials and tools are tailored to their needs. Through coaching sessions, we will help establish local support groups where possible to offer tips and encourage immigrant caregivers from the same region to help each other and share experiences.