Health Literacy Resources for Clients, Caregivers, and Service Providers:
Spotlight on ‘Living Healthy Champlain’ and ‘Ontario Caregiver Organization’
Health literacy resources offer concrete ways to support the care journey of our clients, our loved ones, and ourselves. They can support both clients and providers to feel better equipped and empowered to meaningfully work together to set and accomplish care goals in a variety of settings.
The World Health Organization defines health literacy as “the achievement of a level of knowledge, personal skills and confidence to take action to improve personal and community health by changing personal lifestyles and living conditions.”
‘Living Healthy Champlain’
Living Healthy Champlain supports increased coordination and access to resources that support people with chronic conditions to manage their symptoms more effectively, in partnership with healthcare professionals. Training for health care providers who work with clients with chronic conditions is also available. Education and coaching on self-management can boost clients’ confidence, knowledge, and skills to address not only the physical components of their chronic condition, but also the social and emotional impact as well.
This program is available across the Champlain region – more information can be found at https://www.livinghealthychamplain.ca/en/Workshops or by calling 1 (877) 240-3941.
Ontario Caregiver Organization
Four million Ontarians act as caregivers to family members, partners, friends, and neighbours. The Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) supports caregivers across the province in accessing information to support them in their role, as well as resources for health care providers and employers to effectively support individuals in a caregiving role.
We know that effective involvement and engagement of caregivers in the care team leads to improved outcomes, experiences, and population health.
More information about OCO programs can be found at https://ontariocaregiver.ca/.
