b"SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERSwith yours to understand your vision for the future, identifying howSCALE Together impactcaregiver support can align with your85% of caregivers feel more emotionally supported in their organization's priorities, like: caregiving roleProviding more person-centred careSettings increase their capacity to offer caregiving support Improving communication betweenfamilies and teams Greater sense of connection, community and support amongImproving working environments caregiver peers With their deep knowledge and experience with residents, caregivers are key to ensuring care is bothemotions and provides workbooks thatregistration and logistics, providing culturally safe and appropriate, whileoffer strategies and tools to cope withyou with all program materials their collaboration as an essentialthe emotional aspects of caregiving. (i.e., recordings, workbooks, data partner can reduce pressure on staff.collection tools, program checklist, While many supports are offeredfacilitator tips, etc.). Ideally, you Recognizing your impact online, creating peer connections andwant between 10 and 12 caregivers Through our engagements, wevea shared sense of community withper group. noticed that long-term care homesother caregivers can contribute to well-are often doing a lot more than theyHost: Deliver the eight-week being. To offer a solution that is both3. think. Simply printing and providingaccessible and embedded with theirprogram as scheduled, connecting local community, this long-term carewith the OCO team mid-launch for resources to caregivers on-site goes ahome became one of the first to pilotsupport and to share a participant long way to helping them connect toOCOs SCALE Together program.feedback survey. After the the support they need. program has wrapped, review its One long-term care home welcomedThrough SCALE Together, long- implementation, share feedback, caregivers into the home by ensuringterm care homes can easily provideand submit final data collection to they were prepared for, and involvedpractical, in-person mental healthOCO on participant registrationin, move-in day for the resident bysupport on-site. Hosting weeklyand attendance.providing them with an informationsessions, they stream OCO's live orAt this long-term care home package that included a caregiverrecorded webinars, following whichin particular, the results were handbook with key information abouta health care professional from theoverwhelmingly positive. In thethe home as well as the OCO I am ahome will facilitate a debrief session,words of their Director of Assisted Caregiver Toolkit. using a workbook provided by OCO toLiving and Community Programs, guide the discussion.What we witnessed was truly moving Another home, seeing that manyBy helping caregivers find balance anxious expressions softened, and caregivers were already burnt-out andbetween their caregiving role andparticipants found clarity.facing complex feelings like loss andpersonal needs, SCALE Together grief when a resident moved in, madesuccessfully transforms caregiver well- Above all, this work helps to advance reducing their stress and improvingbeing, and care delivery in turn.the kind of connected, person-centred their well-being a priority. care crucial to improving the quality of For teams seeking to do the same,Here's how it works:life for everyone in long-term care.mental health support like those1.If youre interested in learning more, Get started: OCO will meet with offered through OCOs SCALEyour team to see how SCALEour team would be happy to connect; (Supporting Caregiver Awareness,Together can meet your goals,you can email us at ecpsupporthub@Learning and Empowerment) programhelping you choose the rightontariocaregiver.ca. Together, well can help caregivers navigate theseprogram for your needs. help you support caregiver well-being challenges with support. This eight- and strengthen a culture of respectweek psychoeducational webinar2.Prepare: OCO will support yourand collaboration that works series unpacks difficult caregiverteam with promotion, recruitment,for everyone. LTCTAlison Kilbourn is the Manager of the Essential Care Partner Support Hub at the Ontario Caregiver Organization. Lisa Raffoul is an Implementation Lead at the Essential Care Partner Support Hub at the Ontario Caregiver Organization. Mariam Zohouri is the Communications Manager at the Ontario Caregiver Organization. Please contact the author(s) for a referenced copy of this article.Alison KilbournLisa RaffoulMariam Zohouri www.oltca.com LONG TERM CARE TODAY 51"