title: Caregiving is not a disease: moving from reactive to proactive supports for family caregivers across the healthcare system.
abstract: Saint Elizabeth partnered directly with family caregivers in a study to develop promising practices and indicators of effective caregiver education and support. Researchers heard that caregivers want and need proactive supports to help them thrive and equip them with tools and resources to protect their capacity to care and prevent distress; however, the current system of support is heavily focused on a reactive, medical approach to managing and treating caregiver "burden." Saint Elizabeth is dedicated to promoting a philosophical shift in thinking about caregiver education and support and is actively re-designing support services to reflect what caregivers say they need.
authors.affiliation: Research Associate at Saint Elizabeth and a PhD Student in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo where she undertakes research in family caregiving, healthcare for older adults across the continuum, health system integration and person-centred care.
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giosa
authors.affiliation: Director of Research at Saint Elizabeth, and leads a wide-ranging program of research that includes caregiving, person-centred care in home and community, seniors care in home care, home care rehabilitation and end-of-life care.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holyoke
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D012947:Social Work; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control