Kudos to three teams from the Directorate of Learning Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilization (DPAAS)! They pooled their expertise to contribute to Quebec’s latest action plan for caregivers, and are tasked with implementing several of the plan’s key measures.
Specialists from the Quebec Observatory on Caregiving, SHERPA and the Centre for Research and Expertise in Social Gerontology (CREGÉS) will together ensure the application of 10 measures that address the needs of caregivers in Quebec:
- The Quebec Observatory on Caregiving—a knowledge hub based at CLSC de Parc-Extension—will, among other tasks, raise awareness about caregivers and help them to navigate the health and social services system.
- The SHERPA University Institute, which specializes in migration and intercultural issues, will pursue its development of a peer-led navigation project for caregivers from ethnocultural communities; it will also disseminate a toolkit aimed at supporting caregiving in migration situations.
- CREGÉS, whose mandate is improving services and professional practices for older adults, will collaborate on implementing a key reference framework to improve caregiver support, recognition and services through a partnership approach.
These responsibilities underscore the longstanding role in caregiving among the institutions of the Santé Québec West-Central Montreal Health and Social Services University Network.
“This recognizes our historic expertise.”
Margaux Reiss, Team Manager at the Quebec Observatory on Caregiving.
Quebec’s Action Plan for Caregivers 2026-2031 lays out 50 actions aimed at providing services for caregivers to meet their needs and promote the reconciliation of work, study and caregiving. Caregivers have become a growing segment of the population and now account for an estimated 27 percent of people aged 15 and over; their needs are expected to increase as Quebec’s population ages.
A caregiver is defined as someone who gives support to one or more people—including family, friends or neighbours—with a physical, psychological or other form of incapacity. The support can take various forms, such as transportation, assistance with personal care and housekeeping, emotional support, or coordination of care and services.
