Short Policy Brief: Have You Heard of Young Caregivers? Other Countries Have and You Can Change the Future of Ontario’s Young and Invisible Unpaid Workforce

The policy brief was originally developed to influence policy-making through sharing with Members of Provincial Parliament and political candidates in Ontario’s 2022 provincial election. That being said, it holds relevant information and recommendations for policy/decision-makers from across Canada for government officials (municipal, provincial, and federal) and organizations. For a PDF version of our policy brief,Continue reading Short Policy Brief: Have You Heard of Young Caregivers? Other Countries Have and You Can Change the Future of Ontario’s Young and Invisible Unpaid Workforce

Thank you for Attending Our Virtual Community Event to Raise Awareness of Young Caregivers!

More than 40 people attended our virtual community event including young caregivers, families, students, service providers, researchers, and community members! It was a day full of positivity and emotion. Our young caregiver stars and service provider star talked passionately about their experiences making the session incredibly informative and emotional for our attendees. We received incredibleContinue reading Thank you for Attending Our Virtual Community Event to Raise Awareness of Young Caregivers!

Join our virtual community event!

Community Event: Connecting Young Caregivers and Healthcare Providers November 20, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM To save the date and for updates REGISTER HERE

Resiliency and vulnerability of Young Caregivers: A longitudinal study of their navigation through COVID-19

The study is a collaboration with Ryerson University, Brock University, Young Caregivers Association, and Young Carers Program Toronto. More than 8 million Canadians provide informal unpaid care to a family member or friend with injury, disability, or illness. Ontario alone has an estimated 3.3 million family caregivers and of these, 17% are young caregivers (15-25Continue reading Resiliency and vulnerability of Young Caregivers: A longitudinal study of their navigation through COVID-19

Phase 2 Complete! See What Young Caregivers Thought of Our Emergency Planning Video

Phase 2 of the Ryerson University, Brock University, and Young Caregivers Association (YCA) partnership explored the usefulness of a video on emergency planning among young caregives between 12 and 25 years old from both rural and urban communities. Phase 2 was conducted with 16 participants and was split between younger (12-17) and older young caregiversContinue reading Phase 2 Complete! See What Young Caregivers Thought of Our Emergency Planning Video

Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared: A Video on Emergency Preparedness to Help Young Caregivers During COVID-19 and Onwards

Ryerson University, Young Caregivers Association (YCA), Brock University, and Ontario Tech University partnered to explore how we can best support young caregivers. The study is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Young caregivers are children under the age of 25 who provide unpaid care to a loved one, often  a grandparent[s], butContinue reading Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared: A Video on Emergency Preparedness to Help Young Caregivers During COVID-19 and Onwards

Digital Solutions for Rural Young Carers: Phase One of Our SSHRC PEG Project

In Ontario alone, it is estimated that there are over 500,000 young carers who provide physical, medical, emotional, or other supports to a parent, grandparent, or sibling at home (The Change Foundation, n.d.). Young carers often juggle school and/or jobs on top of their responsibilities to provide care. Without appropriate and adequate supports, young carersContinue reading Digital Solutions for Rural Young Carers: Phase One of Our SSHRC PEG Project

Spare a Thought for Dementia at Brock University and Niagara College

For the past school year, the Spare a Thought for Dementia Collaborative partnered with the nursing program at Brock University and the PSW program at Niagara College to engage students in raising youth awareness and advocating for persons with dementia and their caregivers.  Two nursing students at Brock University were chosen to run a socialContinue reading Spare a Thought for Dementia at Brock University and Niagara College

EMBODY – Experiencing Dementia Through New Media Exhibit

In October of 2018, Dr. Kristine Newman from Ryerson University’s Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing collaborated with researchers from Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) to showcase a new media exhibit, entitled EMBODY – Experiencing Dementia Through New Media. The exhibit was held at the RBC iDAPT Innovations Gallery at TRI over the course of four weeks, and wasContinue reading EMBODY – Experiencing Dementia Through New Media Exhibit

Walk for Memories 2019

Our team, Spare a Thought for Dementia, recently participated in the annual Walk for Memories organized by Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto. We fundraised and walked to support research on Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. For more information about the event and our participation, please check out the presentation slides below.