Social Inclusion of Informal Caregivers in Elliot Lake
J.E. Sherman, S.A. Lacarte, and P.E. Timony

Informal caregivers may have lower levels of access to and participation in economic, recreational, volunteer, civic or other social activities that contribute to their own wellbeing. Providers of informal care may be seniors and/or recipients of care themselves, multiplying the challenges that they face toward full and active participation. The City of Elliot Lake in northeastern Ontario is well-known for its successful transformation from a former mining community into a thriving retirement community, and provides for an excellent case study of informal caregiving.

In the first phase of this project, a scoping study was conducted to review available information on social inclusion of seniors and caregivers in Elliot Lake. This second phase will focus on informal caregivers, and will describe their experience of social inclusion or exclusion, perceptions of supports and barriers to social participation, and perceived unmet needs. Ultimately, the project seeks to identify effective practices for the social inclusion of informal caregivers, and identify issues for public policy and program consideration.

(funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada)

[Link to Report: Social Inclusion of Seniors and Informal Caregivers in Elliot Lake: A Scoping Study]



(Names in bold denote CRaNHR investigators and research staff.)