Changing CARE: Embrace was established to improve the experience of family caregivers in the addiction and mental health system across Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry and Akwesasne, Ontario.

Improving these interactions required a cultural change in how caregivers are recognized, listened to, communicated with, and supported. That’s why Embrace routinely brought family caregivers and health providers together, to co-design better ways of doing things.

Project goals

Embrace had four main goals:

1. Create hope for family caregivers with encouragement, information and support as they navigate the addiction and mental health system with their loved ones
2. Reduce family caregiver stress by making resources more readily available and leveraging local support programs
3. Build family caregiver capacity with a resource hub and an assessment tool to identify caregiver needs
4. Include family caregivers in patient care decisions, treatment planning and discharge planning

Project plan

After identifying the common experiences of family caregivers in the local addiction and mental health system, and understanding the challenges of health providers with the status quo, Changing CARE: Embrace established five project streams:

TOOLS you can use to engage family caregivers

To help others benefit from the work that we produced between 2018 and 2020, the following resources, reports, and tools are offered freely, for use or adaptation with a credit to Changing CARE: Embrace as the source.

Interested to learn more?

After three years of of intensive work on family inclusion across Cornwall, SD&G and Akwesasne, the Changing CARE: Embrace project is winding down.

There are opportunities to get involved with the Ontario Caregiver Organization. Also check out the Regional Caregiver Strategy that will focus on the identified needs caregivers to seniors in our community, led by the United Way across Cornwall and SD&G.