In this section :

Resources for Patients and Essential Care Partners

Together with the patient*, Essential Care Partners should be welcomed by the care team to play an active role to support decision-making, care plan coordination, transparency and continuity of care^3,4. Whether you’re a patient wondering how to ensure your loved one can stay by your side, or a caregiver who wants some help to ensure your essential role is recognized by the care team, we can help.

Essential Care Partners can help their loved ones best by:

• Learning about their loved one’s health issue so they can ask the right questions and know how to best assist care teams.
• Being a second set of eyes, ears and voice for their loved one if needed.
• Comforting their loved one physically, mentally and emotionally.
• Being a champion for their loved one by encouraging them and documenting their progress.

Find out How to support your loved one - as an Essential Care Partner

Hear first hand from Essential Care Partners and healthcare professionals the difference ECPs make as they tell their stories that bring evidence to life and bust some common myths (Bringing Evidence to Life and Busting Myths through Stories)

Tools and Resources for patients* and Essential Care Partners

• Rapid Appeals Process, if you’ve been denied access what to do
• Safely Re-entering Long-Term Care Homes During COVID-19: A Resource for Essential Care Partners
• Tools for Advocacy & Assertion
• Tools and resources for health and care providers

Contact our Essential Together program if you have any questions or would like to learn more: Essential.Together@HEC-ESC.ca

*The term “patient” is used inclusively to refer to people who receive care or services in a variety of settings, including acute care, outpatient and community services, long-term care, home care, etc.

¹ Farmanova, Elina, Maria Judd, Christine Maika, and Graeme Wilkes. “Much More Than Just a Visit: A Review of Visiting Policies in Select Canadian Acute Care Hospitals.” Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (2016). 
² Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. “Policy Guidance for the Reintegration of Caregivers as Essential Care Partners.”(2020). Retrieved from 
³ Farmanova, Elina, Maria Judd, Christine Maika, and Graeme Wilkes. “Much More Than Just a Visit: A Review of Visiting Policies in Select Canadian Acute Care Hospitals.” Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (2016), https://www.cfhi-fcass.ca/docs/default-source/itr/tools-and-resources/better-togetherbaseline-report.pdf
⁴ Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. “Policy Guidance for the Reintegration of Caregivers as Essential Care Partners.”(2020)