Caregivers are an essential part of our Healthcare system.
The number of Ontarians caring for family members, partners, friends, and neighbours is expected to rise from 4 million to 6.5 million by 2030. Today, caregivers provide 75% of patient care in the healthcare system.
Ontario Caregiver Organization: One Point of Contact for Caregivers
The Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) supports caregivers by being their one point of access to information they need.
Working collaboratively with caregivers, healthcare providers and other organizations, OCO draws on the variety of work currently being done to ease caregiver burnout and improve the caregiving experience.
OCO programs and services are available, free of charge, to caregivers across the province.
If you are caring for a family member, friend or neighbour and need help, visit the Ontario Caregiver Organization to access free caregiver supports and resources including: a 24/7 Helpline, Peer Support, and more.
For more information, please visit ontariocaregiver.ca.
This toolkit is a practical resource for caregivers, available in 8 languages with adaptations for Black, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQIA+ Caregivers.
If you’re caring for someone and you need support or have care questions, call the 24/7 Ontario Caregiver Helpline: 1-833-416-2273 or visit ontariocaregiver.ca.
OCO offers 1:1 Peer support with a trained volunteer Peer Mentor. They also offer Online Support Groups with trained peer facilitators with lived experience.
Ensuring Caregivers are connected to the support and resource to improve their wellbeing, by embedding caregiving into the culture of healthcare.
See the following tools available to organizations to assist in their inclusion of caregivers.
Essential Care Partner Support Hub
Through essential care partner programs and practices, care settings can identify, include and support caregivers as part of the care team.
Caregiving Across Cultures
Many caregivers are older adults or are caring for older adults with diverse backgrounds and approaches to caregiving.
Printable OCO Materials
These materials can be printed and displayed in office spaces to connect care partners to supports through the Ontario Caregiver Organization.
Information from the Ontario Caregiver Organization.