Contribute to Caregiver-Focused Research

About the Opportunity

The Alzheimer Society Peel (ASP) runs monthly support groups (CarePartner Café) for their CarePartners to provide connection, shared understanding, and peer support for those caring for a loved one living with dementia. This is offered once in person and once virtually each month. These spaces are facilitated by staff with the help of volunteer CarePartners.

As their CarePartner Café continues to grow, ASP is looking for individuals with lived experience with dementia to volunteer as peer facilitators for these virtual and in-person support groups, alongside staff on a once-per-month basis. Volunteers would allow ASP to reach and support more CarePartners in a meaningful way.

What would be expected of me?

• Lived experience or knowledge of dementia as well as services and supports in the community
• Sensitivity to the cultural/ religious nature of the community that is being served
• Maturity, professionalism and an ethical perspective
• Ability to listen, to have clear and concise communication skills, to link members with others who share something in common, to confront those who are unwilling or unable to acknowledge their difficulties and make changes
• Co-facilitate sessions, provide peer connection, and support discussion in a way that complements staff facilitation
• Able to commit to every group offered (once a month)
• Arrive at least 10 minutes before the group and stay ten minutes later to debrief. This means a time commitment of approximately 2-2.5 hours depending on the group.

How do I get involved?

If interested, contact Imane Maatallah at i.maatallah@alzheimerpeel.com or by phone at 416-886-4285. A short interview will be conducted with the volunteer coordinator and the support group staff facilitators. Training will also be provided after a successful interview. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis.

About the opportunity

Are you a South Asian woman living in Peel Region who is currently caring for, or has previously cared for, an older family member (65+) with palliative or chronic care needs, including dementia?

By sharing your experiences, you can help planners and municipalities better understand how to design communities that support caregivers and aging in place and help planners create more inclusive, caregiver-supportive communities.

What will be expected of me?

• Take part in a one-time interview (about 60 minutes) at a time that works best for you
• During the interview, you may also participate in a participatory mapping activity to share your caregiving journeys and experiences

How do I participate?

Contact the Principal Investigator, Asra Khan (Master of Planning Student) through email or phone (289-980-2057) to express your interest. The deadline to express interest is February 25.

Note: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Toronto Metropolitan University Research Ethics Board (REB 2025-407).

About the Opportunity

As part of St. Michael's Knowledge Translation Program (KTP) they are hosting a Healthy Aging Priority Setting Workshop and are looking for older adults (65 years or older), caregivers and healthcare providers to join and participate in discussions that will help researchers identify the top ten priority topics that will guide future research in healthy aging.

What will be expected of me?

• The workshop will take place virtually over Zoom on Tuesday, February 17 between 9 AM - 5 PM
• The workshop will take about 6-7 hours and will involve facilitated discussions and a voting process

You will be offered $40 per hour as compensation for their time in the workshop.

How do I participate?

If you're interested, please fill out this form by Friday, February 6 at 5 PM. A research team member will then contact you with more details. For general inquiries, contact Arthana Chandraraj.

About the Opportunity

Trillium Health Partners invites caregivers who are 16 years of age or older and reside in Canada to take part in a research project to help co-design a new caregiver experience survey. Your insights and lived experience will play a vital role in shaping a tool that reflects what matters most to caregivers.

What will be expected of me?

• A 2-hour virtual focus group
• Willingness to share your experiences and ideas about caregiver needs and challenges

An honorarium will be provided for your time.

How do I participate?

Please contact Kristina by email or phone (647-249-3809) to express your interest or learn more.

About the Opportunity

The Specialized Clinical DS Network (SCDSN) is looking for subject matter experts (SMEs) and persons with lived experience to help develop education modules for the Developmental Disabilities Alternate Level of Care (DD ALC) collaborative project to build capacity within the DS sector to better support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who are currently designated as Alternate Level of Care (ALC) in hospital settings. The goal is to facilitate their safe and sustainable transition into community-based living environments.

What will be expected of me?

• Selected SMEs (4) will be responsible for researching, creating and presenting materials related to a module for the 4-module staff learning video package in an interactive and inclusive fashion in collaboration with a person with lived experience as well as facilitating 5 bi-monthly Communities of Practice (CoPs) for support staff who have taken the training and applying the skills learned into practice.
• Selected people with lived experience (4) will work with the SMEs to provide input based on their lived experience to ensure the modules include real-life experience and ideas.
• Participants will receive financial compensation for their time.

How do I participate?

Please email admin@scdsn.org and reference this study for more information.

About the Opportunity

Researchers at the University of Manitoba are looking for young carers between the age of 12-30 who are providing care for a family member or friend and currently reside in Canada to participate in their study, "Partnering for Young Carers’ Health and Well-Being: Co-Designing Policy Recommendations and Research Priorities for Young Carers Across Canada."

What will be expected of me?

• Participate in a virtual interview, including on evenings and weekends
• Create artwork of your choice: video, photo, music, painting, etc. (optional)
• All participation is voluntary, and your identity will be kept confidential.

Participants will receive a gift card in appreciation of their participation.

How do I participate?

Please contact ingauge@umanitoba.ca to express interest.

About the Opportunity

The e-Health Conference and Tradeshow, the largest event for Canadian digital health professionals, is committed to elevating the voices and lived experiences of patients.

Comprised of patients, Patient Partners and caregivers, each Patient Partner supports the design of the program, reviews all funding applications, and will ensure meaningful patient representation at e-Health26.

Funding for select Patient Partners aims to reduce financial barriers for patients, family members, and caregivers who wish to participate in e-Health26 in Halifax from June 14–16, 2026. Select applicants will receive:

• Complimentary conference registration
• Financial assistance for transportation to Halifax
• Two nights of accommodation (some restrictions apply)

Eligibility

You are eligible if you are a Canadian patient, Patient Partner, family member, or caregiver with lived or living experience in the health system and able to attend e-Health26 in-person, June 14–16, 2026, in Halifax.

Timeline

• January 5, 2026: Funding application period opens
• February 8, 2026: Funding application period closes
• February 9-18, 2026: Committee review period
• February 20, 2026: Applicant notifications sent

How do I participate?

If you are a Patient Partner able to attend e-Health26 in Halifax, funding applications will open on January 5, 2026 and will be available on this webpage.

About the Opportunity

The University of Alberta is looking for parents or caregivers of children and youth (0–19 yrs) who live in Canada and have received a liver, kidney, or multi-organ transplant to participate in a brief survey.

This survey will help understand the impact of food insecurity (limited access to safe and nutritious food) on children's health. All organ transplant caregivers are welcome to participate, whether or not you experience issues of food insecurity. By joining this study, you will help us build evidence to advocate for effective policies and interventions that address food insecurity in this population.

What will be expected of me?

• Fill out a brief online survey (5-10 minutes)
• You must be located in Canada to participate
• If interested, there is an optional second phase following the survey which involves an online interview and a diet record, allowing for a more in-depth investigation of mental health, quality of life, diet quality, and the facilitators and barriers to food security.

How do I participate?
You can access the survey using this link. For any questions, please email Dr. Diana Mager at mager@ualberta.ca.

About the Opportunity

This study explores how people living with dementia and their family/friend caregivers use an online resource called the Driving and Dementia Roadmap to support them through the process of making the decision to stop driving and the transition to no longer driving.

Baycrest Health Sciences is looking for caregivers who provide support to a person living with dementia (any type) who are currently driving or have stopped driving within the past two years and who speaks English.

They are also looking for insights from those living with dementia (any type) who are still driving or have stopped driving within the past two years and who speak English.

What will be expected of me?

You will be asked to use the Driving and Dementia Roadmap for 2-6 weeks, write your thoughts about it in a diary, and take part in a virtual interview via Zoom.

How can I participate?

Contact estasiulis@baycrest.org

About the Opportunity

A research team from the University of Toronto is studying the experiences of caregivers living in Canada who provide support to multiple people. They are looking for candidates who care for people with different care needs (e.g., a child and an adult with a disability or a child and a senior) rather than multiple caregivers who care for people with the same care needs (e.g., a parent caring for multiple children). This research will help inform solutions for the provision of care in Canada.

In order to protect your confidentiality, the interview transcription will be assigned a pseudonym (fake name) and will be stored in password-protected folders and computer.

What will be expected of me?

• You'll first fill out a pre-screening survey which should take less than 5 minutes
• After filling out the survey, you may be contacted to schedule a phone or video (Zoom) interview (expected to be between 45 and 90 minutes in length)
• During this interview, you will be asked to share about your experience as a caregiver, what a typical weekday looks like for you, the impacts of your care responsibilities, and what government support might make these easier
• Participation is completely voluntary, and you can decide to not to answer certain questions or withdraw from the study at any time.

As a thank you, interview participants will receive a $25 President's Choice gift card.

How do I participate?

If you are interested in participating in an interview about your caregiving experience, start by filling out the pre-screening survey for the study.