Join a Caregiver Advisory Council

About the Opportunity

Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences is leading a research project titled “Bridging Care” to explore successful caregiver programs, with the intention of learning best practices for engaging caregivers in programming for application to expand caregiver support across Canada. This project is in collaboration with Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence’s Mindfulness for Family Caregivers program and The Ontario Caregiver Organization.

We are currently putting together a team to evaluate OCO's SCALE program and the 1:1 Peer Support program, and we would like to invite caregivers like you to help shape that work from the very beginning.

Proposal

Our team is applying for funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada's health research agency, to take a close look at three free caregiver programs: OCO's SCALE program, OCO's 1:1 Peer Support program, and CCCE's Mindfulness for Family Caregivers program. We want to understand who these programs are reaching (and missing), what impact these programs have so far, and what would help the programs grow - in Ontario and in other provinces.

Note: This Caregiver Advisory Council role is funding dependant. We are looking for caregivers to join our research at the funding application stage. Should the application be successful, caregivers will formally join the Caregiver Advisory Council.

Participation Details

  • Participants: We're looking for 3 to 4 caregivers, who have participated in OCO's SCALE Program or Peer Support Program to join our Caregiver Advisory Council for the duration of this project (2 years).
  • Meeting schedule: Quarterly meetings for a total of 8 meetings over 2 years. We'll work around your schedule as much as we can.
  • Meeting format: Online, via virtual meeting platform such as Zoom or Teams.
  • What you'd be doing: Sharing your perspective on how the research is designed and carried out, helping us ask the right questions in the right way, and reviewing what we find so it actually reflects caregivers' real lives.

Beyond the Caregiver Advisory Council meetings themselves, there will also be opportunities to:

  • Take part in café conversations sessions where caregivers and the research team talk through ideas together (real or virtual).
  • Co-develop plain-language reports, infographics, and other materials that will share what we learn — so the final products sound like they were written with caregivers, not just about them.

Honorarium

Your time and expertise matter, and we want to recognize that. Caregiver Advisory Council members will receive an honorarium of $100 for each of the 8 Council meetings (up to $800 over the project), plus an additional honorarium for each extra activity you take part in, such as a café conversation or a knowledge-product co-development session. Honoraria are paid regardless of whether you join in person or online, and we'll also cover reasonable travel costs for anyone attending in person.

“Am I the right person for this?”

This opportunity is a good fit if you:

  • Have personally taken part in OCO's SCALE program and/or the 1:1 Peer Support program, as a caregiver
  • Are comfortable sharing your views in a small group setting (in person or online).
  • Are interested in helping shape caregiver support, not just for yourself, but for caregivers across Canada.

You don't need any research background or experience - just your perspective as a caregiver and an individual with lived experience. We especially welcome interest from caregivers aged 55 and older, long-time caregivers, and caregivers from diverse communities and regions across Ontario, though everyone with SCALE or Peer Support experience is welcome.

How to get involved:

Before end of day Sept 10, 2026 (Thursday), please reach out to Mary at chium@ontarioshores.ca if you would like to support this proposal. In your email, please state which of the above programs have you participated in and describe briefly (3 to 5 sentences) your caregiving experience (who are you caring for and how long?). Thank you for considering.

About the Opportunity

Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences is leading a research project titled “Bridging Care” to explore successful caregiver programs, with the intention of learning best practices for engaging caregivers in programming for application to expand caregiver support across Canada. This project is in collaboration with Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence’s Mindfulness for Family Caregivers program and The Ontario Caregiver Organization.

We are currently putting together a team to evaluate OCO's SCALE program and the 1:1 Peer Support program, and we would like to invite caregivers like you to help shape that work from the very beginning.

Proposal

Our team is applying for funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada's health research agency, to take a close look at three free caregiver programs: OCO's SCALE program, OCO's 1:1 Peer Support program, and CCCE's Mindfulness for Family Caregivers program. We want to understand who these programs are reaching (and missing), what impact these programs have so far, and what would help the programs grow - in Ontario and in other provinces.

Note: This Caregiver Advisory Council role is funding dependant. We are looking for caregivers to join our research at the funding application stage. Should the application be successful, caregivers will formally join the Caregiver Advisory Council.

Participation Details

  • Participants: We're looking for 3 to 4 caregivers, who have participated in OCO's SCALE Program or Peer Support Program to join our Caregiver Advisory Council for the duration of this project (2 years).
  • Meeting schedule: Quarterly meetings for a total of 8 meetings over 2 years. We'll work around your schedule as much as we can.
  • Meeting format: Online, via virtual meeting platform such as Zoom or Teams.
  • What you'd be doing: Sharing your perspective on how the research is designed and carried out, helping us ask the right questions in the right way, and reviewing what we find so it actually reflects caregivers' real lives.

Beyond the Caregiver Advisory Council meetings themselves, there will also be opportunities to:

  • Take part in café conversations sessions where caregivers and the research team talk through ideas together (real or virtual).
  • Co-develop plain-language reports, infographics, and other materials that will share what we learn — so the final products sound like they were written with caregivers, not just about them.

Honorarium

Your time and expertise matter, and we want to recognize that. Caregiver Advisory Council members will receive an honorarium of $100 for each of the 8 Council meetings (up to $800 over the project), plus an additional honorarium for each extra activity you take part in, such as a café conversation or a knowledge-product co-development session. Honoraria are paid regardless of whether you join in person or online, and we'll also cover reasonable travel costs for anyone attending in person.

“Am I the right person for this?”

This opportunity is a good fit if you:

  • Have personally taken part in OCO's SCALE program and/or the 1:1 Peer Support program, as a caregiver
  • Are comfortable sharing your views in a small group setting (in person or online).
  • Are interested in helping shape caregiver support, not just for yourself, but for caregivers across Canada.

You don't need any research background or experience - just your perspective as a caregiver and an individual with lived experience. We especially welcome interest from caregivers aged 55 and older, long-time caregivers, and caregivers from diverse communities and regions across Ontario, though everyone with SCALE or Peer Support experience is welcome.

How to get involved:

Before end of day Sept 10, 2026 (Thursday), please reach out to Mary at chium@ontarioshores.ca if you would like to support this proposal. In your email, please state which of the above programs have you participated in and describe briefly (3 to 5 sentences) your caregiving experience (who are you caring for and how long?). Thank you for considering.