The Mental Illness Caregivers Associationhttps://www.micaontario.com/ planning discussion document is aimed to develop more effective approaches that both strengthen and maintain continuity of care and address future needs. It is drawn from the perspective of family caregivers. It resonates and benchmarks with —the key components of the Recovery Model and the current Ministry of Health standards of community care provided by: Intensive Case Management and Assertive Community Treatment.
The discussion document has a “Planning Framework” to address core needs and has an emphasis on the financial and housing resources family members use to support their family member for the future, “after we are gone.” MICA identifies the need to develop organizational partnerships in order to implement good care and build a community based and care system approach for people living with mental illness, substance abuse and developmental disabilities.
… it is now more urgent than ever for the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Health and Long-Term Care and Children, Community and Social Services to work together to ensure all caregivers have a housing plan that addresses both current and future housing needs of the most vulnerable in our community …
It strikes me that this effort by family members to support their loved one’s, can bring the rest of us along to strengthen communities and services for all of us.
Good to revisit, this article stirs up the fog and nudges the pall. Kneo Mokgopahttps://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/kneomokgopa/ aims for dialogue, but I’m unsure how that’s going to go, but worth a try.
“…It seems impossible to metabolise a discourse that is abundantly concerned with the wellbeing of women, children, queers, labour, healthcare, the environment and men simply for the reason that men, by and large, are the greatest threat to all other things on this agenda. Furthermore, men themselves do not seem interested in such a discourse, content with being violated, if not dying, in prisons, killing each other and themselves, being depressed and living without love. We have all consistently been shown that many, many, many men are simply unwilling to become human… “
Please consider joining the discussion with Micheal Kaufman at the book launch, it should be a good one.
Thursday February 28th, 5-7 pm, 251 Bank Street. (note not at the store, rather the annex)
From closing the wage gap, challenging toxic masculinity, ending violence against women, to dismantling the patriarchy itself, the time has come for men to join the fight for gender equality.
Join Michael Kaufman and guests for a discussion that will explore the damaging effects of our patriarchal culture, and how changes in our workplaces, in the ways we raise boys to be men, and in the movement to end men’s violence will bring significant rewards in our community and all around the world.
Michael Kaufman is the cofounder of the White Ribbon Campaign—the largest international network of men working to end violence against women—and for decades has been an advisor on gender equality to the United Nations, governments, NGOs, schools, and workplaces around the world. With honest storytelling, compassion, and hard-hitting analysis, The Time Has Come is a compelling look at why men must take a stand in the fight for gender equality.
Out of the Shadows and Into the Circle: Partnering with Family Caregivers to Shift Ontario’s Health Care System
“Our health care system is dependent on unpaid caregivers. And the reality is that these caregivers are often not recognized or respected for the role they play. At best, there is an inconsistent approach to family caregivers. In many cases, they are not even considered as key members of the care team.”
The Change Foundation Out of the Shadows and Into the Circle
The Change Foundation’s new strategic plan, Out of the Shadows and Into the Circle, builds on past work focused on improving experiences for patients and family caregivers as they move across Ontario’s healthcare system. Although many ideas and trends were evident during our previous work, there was one consistent theme: the vital, yet often unrecognized, role of informal or family caregivers in the system. We are committing to shining a light on this area. Based on what we know already, we believe that valuing and recognizing family caregivers as integral members of the health care team should be an urgent focus for our health system.
Our strategic goal: to improve the experience of family caregivers as they help their family members transition through and interact with Ontario’s health and community care systems.
Research tells us that most Ontarians have been or will be a family caregiver at some point. Twenty-nine percent of the provincial population – or 3.3 million people – provide some form of support, assistance, care or enrichment to a family member or friend. Both women (53%) and men (47%) in Ontario take on caregiving roles.
We believe, that by recognizing, facilitating and supporting the role of the family caregivers, we can improve patient experience, coordinate care more effectively and create an environment in which the highest quality health care can be delivered. This plan was developed with input, insight, and ideas from over 100 people, including our Strategic Plan Renewal Working Group, our Sounding Board and TCF’s citizen’s panel, PANORAMA.
Our agenda will evolve and flesh out in the first year, The Change Foundation will focus on listening and learning to better understand the family caregiver experience as part of the patient experience and to identify promising models or initiatives for effective and collaborative engagement between family caregivers and providers. This exploratory work will help us scope out and identify our specific projects and policy work that will be the focus in the remaining years of the strategic plan.
15 % of the population is elderly
29 % of Ontarians provide some form of caregiving support
48 % of family caregivers are looking after parents or in-laws
30 % of caregivers are part of the “sandwich generation” of Ontarians provide some form of caregiving support
Key work:
DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING A FOCUS ON FAMILY CAREGIVERS AS PART OF THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE.
We will use the framework to illustrate how the focus of the Foundation fits within the big picture and the important work of other organizations. This will help us identify where our focused contribution will have the biggest impact.
LEARN MORE ABOUT FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO.
We will ask: who they are, what they need, who is helping them and how they are helped, what are common challenges for all family caregivers, what are unique challenges for sub-groups of family caregivers.
ENGAGE WITH FAMILY CAREGIVERS, PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS.
We want to learn more about the challenges that family caregivers encounter when they interact with providers and the health and community care systems and in particular, we want to learn more about the issues facing diverse and multicultural families. We will also engage with providers to understand their frustrations with the status quo.
DEVELOP AN ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR MOVING FORWARD.
We will develop an engagement plan to best listen and learn family caregivers, patients, providers and system representatives as we further define and implement our strategic plan.
LEARN ABOUT INNOVATIVE PROVIDER AND FAMILY CAREGIVER PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES.
We will undertake a systematic review of the literature and informally published reports and documents to learn more about innovative initiatives within Ontario and in other jurisdictions where providers and organizations are collaborating with family caregivers and patients for mutual benefits. We will use this reconnaissance to shape and identify our priority initiatives.
LEARN ABOUT EFFORTS TO INTEGRATE HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CARE.
We will also monitor efforts in other jurisdictions to join-up and better integrate health and community care given how this integration can help to improve the experience of family caregivers and patients.
“Unless we ask about it, we are not going to find out about it. The first step is recognition.” Dr. Ameneh Mirzaei, psychiatrist, Mood and Anxiety program, The Royal outlines the relevance health professionals have in helping women to address potential partner violence. Local Ottawa Resources and literature are shared.
Because healthcare practitioners are often the first and sometimes only professional point of contact for victims of violence, they are in a unique position to identify and address the issue head on. According to studies, however, only 12-20% of women report ever being asked by their doctors about intimate partner violence, and when they do disclose that violence exists, support from healthcare providers has been lacking.
Sue Johnson wrote an article on the critical need to support soldiers and first responders with trauma through the vital role of families and friends. She describes program model development efforts and the need for effective implementation of them.
The other obvious and potent reason for supporting, educating and including partners in intervention is that PTSD symptoms, such as numbing and hypervigilance, are toxic for any relationship. Without support, a trauma survivor’s relationships often fall apart just when the survivor needs them the most. Emotional isolation is the most potent trigger for suicidal or aggressive behaviours.
Laurence Kirmayer of McGill University announces Stop Family Violence, a new one-stop online source of information and resources about family violence / Annonce du lancement d’Arrêtons la violence familiale, votre nouveau guichet d’information et de ressource en ligne sur la violence familiale
On behalf of the federal Family Violence Initiative, the Public Health Agency of Canada is pleased to announce Stop Family Violence, your new one-stop online source of information and resources about family violence. Stop Family Violence replaces the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence.
Stop Family Violence provides information for Canadians who are, or know someone affected by family violence, need help finding services, or want to learn about family violence in Canada. It also provides information and resources for professionals on how to help prevent or respond to family violence. Government of Canada funding opportunities and other activities related to family violence will also be posted on these pages.
The Stop Family Violence Project Team Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada
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Au nom de l’Initiative de lutte contre la violence familiale, l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada est heureuse d’annoncer Arrêtons la violence familiale, votre nouveau guichet d’information et de ressources en ligne sur la violence familiale. Arrêtons la violence familiale remplace le Centre national d’information sur la violence dans la famille.
Arrêtons la violence familiale donne de l’information aux Canadiens qui sont affectés par la violence familiale ou qui connaissent une personne qui en est affectée, qui ont besoin d’aide pour trouver des services, ou qui souhaitent en savoir plus sur la violence familiale au Canada. Il fournit aussi de l’information et des ressources aux professionnels afin de les aider à prévenir la violence familiale ou à y réagir. D’autres possibilités de financement et d’autres activités liées à la violence familiale du gouvernement du Canada seront aussi diffusées sur ces pages.
Social & Health Practice Ottawa 