A New Resource for Young Caregivers

There are approximately a half a million young caregivers (under 25 years of age) in Ontario who play a critical role in supporting a family member. The added responsibilities of being a young caregiver can have a significant impact on their education, career decisions, social life, and overall mental health. This past year, OCO worked with young caregivers to better understand their needs. 

“I have been looking for support being a young caregiver for a while. It has been nice to talk to other people my age that are going through similar things that I am.”

– Young Caregiver Support Group Participant

OCO engaged a diverse group of youth, reaching a large group of individuals and organizations to build a strong young caregiver working group. This group came together to contribute to the development of the Young Caregivers Connect website.  Promotion of this website and raising  awareness of the unique needs of Ontario’s young caregiver population was done by engaging with youth wellness hubs, community agencies serving youth, and included presentations to youth advisory councils, clinical tables, and connections with post secondary mental health professionals.

To address what the Young Caregiver Working Group told us they needed, the  website includes options for young caregivers to access bi-weekly young caregiver support groups and an online discussion forum. Special thanks to the University of Waterloo’s Research Institute for Aging and the Waterloo Young Carers Project for providing us with their legacy young caregiver website content. The Ontario Caregiver Organization will continue to evolve this work to meet the needs of young caregivers across Ontario.