Canadian health system Trillium Health Partners (THP) is to launch a four-year study to investigate methods to better support caregivers and integrate them into health and social care teams.
According a THP release, the initiative is being funded by a C$2.75m donation from the Azrieli Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE), facilitated by the Trillium Health Partners Foundation.
Azrieli Foundation chair and CEO Naomi Azrieli said: “Anyone who has personally cared for a loved one can attest to the challenges of trying to balance caregiving with the demands of daily life.
“This research will lead to crucial changes in the way caregivers are identified, supported and empowered in Canada. We are proud to support Trillium Health Partners in leading this important initiative.”
At present, more than 7.8 million Canadians dedicate an average of 20 hours a week to unpaid caregiving, contributing 5.7 billion unpaid caregiving hours a year, valued at $97.1bn in total.
Current projections indicate that one in two people aged older than 15 years will be a caregiver within five years, up from the current one in four.
The donation will fund research and development in several key areas, including the creation of programmes, tools and best practices to facilitate caregiver identification, support and inclusion in care teams.
The resources developed will be distributed among healthcare teams, including THP staff, to promote successful caregiver integration.
THP will use a collaborative approach to develop a tool that improves the identification of caregivers, as well as innovative arts-based methodologies such as caregiver photovoice albums and digital storytelling.
The effectiveness of the new tool or intervention will be tested in several healthcare settings within the Regional Municipality of Peel to evaluate its performance and potential for broader application.
THP is Canada's largest community-based hospital network, serving patients in Mississauga, West Toronto and their surrounding communities.
