New COVID-19 Resource Centre

“Being able to have designated care partners for our residents has greatly improved their quality of life, their emotional well-being and general outlook on life.”
– Teri Fischer, Resident and Family Services Manager, Grey County Long Term Care

While social distancing, access and visitation restrictions, and stay at home orders helped reduce the spread of COVID-19, they put a significant strain on essential caregivers who needed to quickly adjust when, where and how they delivered care. To support caregivers early in the pandemic and beyond, the OCO launched its COVID-19 Resource Centre. New resources included tip sheets on a variety of topics such as how to use technology to stay in touch, a contingency planning checklist, vaccination and distribution updates, information on financial supports for caregivers, a caregiver starter kit for new caregivers, and more. 

The OCO also identified the need to support those who interact with caregivers in settings where access was restricted, including hospitals and long term care homes.  The OCO expanded on the work of The Change Foundation’s Caregiver ID program to create the Partners in Care Pandemic Tool Kit which aims to help these health care settings welcome caregivers back as partners in care in a safe and meaningful way.

To accelerate the uptake of these tools among health care providers, the OCO formed the Partners in Care Learning Collaborative to provide early adopters the opportunity to connect and share experiences related to implementation. Since its launch, Caregiver ID has been implemented in more than 24 settings and thousands of caregivers have been able to continue providing essential support to those they care for. The OCO will continue to work with current and new partners to help them build trust, communication and best practices in working with caregivers through the pandemic and beyond.