June 2017

The Honourable Eric Hoskins
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Government of Ontario
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Dr. Hoskins:

I am pleased to submit my report to you on expanding caregiver support which is one of the ten steps in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s “Roadmap to Strengthen Home and Community Care“. Caregivers provide unpaid care to their family, friends and neighbours of any age who have physical and/or mental health care needs.

I was asked to inform next steps in coordinating and strengthening caregiver supports. This included whether a new provincial caregiver organization could serve Ontario caregivers and, if so, to recommend an organizational structure that would complement and leverage the capacity and expertise of organizations that already help support caregivers.

I listened to over 200 individuals and reviewed relevant documents. My firm belief is that Ontario needs to invest in supporting its caregivers, and that a made-in-Ontario approach would be welcomed and highly beneficial. My advice takes the caregiver’s perspective and is reflected in the following three recommendations:

  • For truly effective caregiver support, I recommend that the ministry develop initiatives at the individual, organizational and system levels. Initiatives need to be sensitive to the fact that each caregiver brings their own experiences – which are influenced by culture, language, age and other factors – and which evolve over time. The consultations highlighted the need to recognize and provide caregiver supports to our French Language caregivers in French. In addition, the consultations stressed the importance of co-designing and co-developing supports with and for our Indigenous Peoples, as well as working with the LGBTQ community to further understand and develop appropriate caregiver supports.
  • Ontario does not have an organization or entity that: focuses solely on caregivers and their multiple diverse needs;  reflects the broad culture of caregiving as opposed to caregiving within a focused area(s); and can deliver and coordinate the full-range of supports at each level. I, therefore, recommend that the ministry establish a stand-alone caregiver support organization to achieve these ends. It will be important to respect the critical role played by existing  organizations that have a strong track record supporting care recipients and caregivers.
  • A tangible commitment to implement is crucial and, thus, I recommend that the ministry appoint an Implementation Lead in the short term to begin this important work.

These recommendations support Ontario’s “Patients First” commitment which puts people and patients at the centre   of the care experience. Caregivers augment our taxpayer-funded services, are an intrinsic part of our health care system, and contribute significantly to the health and well-being of Ontarians. I strongly believe that these recommendations will benefit caregivers, improve the caregiving experience, and enable them to continue their important work.

Minister Hoskins, I would like to thank you for asking me to provide advice on strengthening caregiver supports. It was a privilege to do this important work on behalf of caregivers in Ontario.

Yours sincerely,

Janet Beed