Caregiver burnout and social isolation are growing concerns across Canada, especially among older adult caregivers. This session explores an innovative initiative in Peel Region that uses social prescribing to connect caregivers to local activities, support services, and social networks that enhance their well-being. Through a creative and person-centered approach, the model addresses non-medical concerns such as loneliness, stress, and anxiety, while also helping to ease pressure on the healthcare system. 

Participants will learn how social prescribing empowers caregivers by linking them to community resources that reflect their cultural values and lived experiences. The session will showcase real-world examples and explore how the model supports resilience, inclusion, and health equity. 

Designed for service providers, community leaders, and health system planners, this session includes a knowledge translation package with assessment tools, sample activities, and a partnership advocacy guide to support adaptation in new settings. 

Attend this session to explore how community-rooted care can create meaningful change for caregivers and those they support. 

After facing major disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations are still working to rebuild their volunteer capacity and engagement. This session spotlights how CHATS–Community & Home Assistance to Seniors successfully doubled its volunteer base from 150 to over 300 people through a focused Volunteer Refresh project. Using a mix of low-cost and high-impact strategies, CHATS redefined volunteer roles, revitalized outreach, and strengthened internal systems to create a more sustainable and connected volunteer culture. 

Participants will hear how the organization nurtured deeper relationships with its volunteers, embedded appreciation into its practices, and created flexible opportunities that met both community and organizational needs. 

Ideal for those involved in volunteer coordination, community engagement, or organizational development, this session offers practical tools, inspiring stories, and strategies that can be applied across sectors. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas to revitalize their volunteer teams and build more resilient, mission-driven programs rooted in inclusion, trust, and community connection. 

Take the next step in strengthening your volunteer strategy and energizing your community impact. 

Integrated neighbourhood models are reshaping how home care is delivered in vulnerable communities by embedding support directly where people live. This session spotlights the Integrated Neighbourhood Home Care Program, a collaborative initiative led by East Toronto Health Partners OHT that brings together primary care, hospitals, local organizations, and home care providers to deliver coordinated, person-centered services in high-priority areas. 

Focusing on the Taylor Massey neighbourhood with VHA Home Healthcare as the core provider, the model leverages trusted relationships, real-time communication, and a dedicated Home Care Specialist role to offer holistic in-home and social care. With upstream interventions, health equity strategies, and social prescribing, the program demonstrates how community-embedded care can improve access, strengthen system navigation, and lead to better outcomes. 

Designed for system planners, providers, and leaders seeking scalable, equity-driven solutions, this session offers a theory of change framework and practical resources to support adaptation. Be part of this important conversation on redesigning care from the ground up. 

Community support services play a critical role in easing the burden on hospital emergency departments. This session explores how the Assisted Living Plus model is successfully diverting emergency visits by providing immediate, patient-directed support, streamlining internal referrals, and leveraging data to align service intensity with clinical risk. 

Participants will gain insight into effective triage processes, workforce deployment, and strategies for building cross-sector collaboration. The session emphasizes practical, adaptable approaches that can be implemented across a range of community-based settings. 

Bringing care closer to where people live is reshaping Ontario’s primary care system. Community Wellness Hubs are transforming care for older adults by integrating health, housing, and social services directly into local settings. Co-developed by the Burlington Ontario Health Team and Halton Community Housing Corporation, this innovative model strengthens prevention, reduces hospital visits, and improves access by addressing the social determinants of health. 

Now active in seven communities and continuing to expand, the model supports Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan and broader goals of integrated, community-based care. It demonstrates how place-based care can drive better outcomes while aligning with provincial priorities for upstream, equitable health transformation. 

This session is ideal for senior leaders, policymakers, and organizations seeking scalable models that improve access and equity. Participants will receive a Standardized Implementation Guide, real-world case examples, and access to a supportive Community of Practice. 

Be a part of this session and explore how the Community Wellness Hub model can inspire transformation in your own region. 

Generative AI is already making an impact in home and community care by helping reduce administrative burden, improve communication, and streamline tasks like grant writing. With a grounded nonprofit lens, this interactive session introduces leaders to the real-world potential of AI tools like ChatGPT, showing how they can support teams, reduce burnout, and create more space for person-centered care. 

The session offers a practical roadmap for responsible implementation. Participants will explore tested use cases, learn how to mitigate common risks, and gain strategies to ensure AI adoption aligns with core values of ethics, equity, and human connection. 

Ideal for senior leaders, educators, and program managers, this session empowers organizations to approach AI with clarity and confidence. Participants will leave with a curated toolkit, prompt examples, and guiding frameworks designed for impact-driven environments. 

Discover how AI can support your team’s mission while keeping compassion at the core. 

Hospice care has not always been accessible or responsive to people experiencing homelessness and other forms of structural vulnerability. This session highlights an innovative model developed by Journey Home Hospice, a program of Saint Elizabeth Foundation, that centers compassion, equity, and dignity at the end of life for individuals who are often excluded from traditional care. 

Participants will explore how harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and culturally safe practices are woven into every aspect of this unique hospice approach. The session will also share lessons on building partnerships across sectors, addressing social determinants of health, and designing inclusive programs that reflect the lived experiences of marginalized communities. 

Introducing a “hack-a-thon” style component, an interactive segment where attendees will work together to identify and rapidly prototype practical, harm-reducing strategies that can be applied in their own contexts. Through collaborative problem-solving, participants will be invited to challenge the status quo and co-create actionable solutions that support more humane, responsive models of palliative care. 

This session is ideal for healthcare providers, policymakers, and organizational leaders working to advance equity in palliative and hospice care. Attendees will leave with actionable tools, case examples, and a practical resource toolkit to support implementing more inclusive, community-rooted care. 

Take the next step toward building a hospice model where no one is left behind. 

Virtual befriending programs, like friendly visiting, are increasingly used to reduce social isolation and foster human connection, particularly among individuals who are homebound or experience barriers to in-person engagement. This interactive session draws on a realist evaluation of the Circle of Care Phone Pals program, conducted in partnership with Sinai Health, to explore what makes these programs effective, for whom, and under what conditions. 

Participants will receive a brief introduction to realist evaluation principles, then dive into study insights through engaging group activities. Using real-world program examples, attendees will identify Contexts, Mechanisms, and Outcomes and reflect on how these elements shape program success. The session will also include a case presentation, facilitated discussion, and practical applications for service design and evaluation. 

This session is ideal for service providers, program managers, emerging researchers, and decision-makers who are involved in community-based or relational care models. 

Join us to gain practical tools, fresh insights, and a new way of thinking about how to design and evaluate virtual connection programs in your own work. 

With rising housing costs and increasing pressure to reduce hospital admissions, there is growing demand for alternative congregate care models like assisted living. This session explores an innovative and cost-effective partnership model that leverages geared-to-income housing operated by local municipalities to deliver high quality assisted living services. Participants will learn how the program was developed from an initial business case, through partnership development, funding proposals, and implementation. 

 The session will walk through each stage of the journey, sharing insights on how to engage partners, secure Ontario Health funding, and meet the needs of multiple populations in a fiscally sustainable way. This session is designed for leaders, planners, and organizations looking for practical, scalable solutions to expand supportive housing without heavy infrastructure investment. Attendees will leave with strategies to pursue local partnerships and a roadmap to develop or expand assisted living programs that are aligned with Ontario Health priorities. 

Be part of the conversation shaping the future of housing and care through innovative, cost-effective models. 

Supporting people with complex medical needs in community settings requires bold, person-centered innovation. This session reimagines medically complex care outside of acute settings by showcasing emerging models grounded in real-world examples, case studies, and academic partnerships. Presenters will explore how interdisciplinary collaboration, shifting demographics, and increasing system pressures are reshaping how and where complex care is delivered. 

Ideal for healthcare professionals, service providers, and community leaders, this session provides practical strategies to implement and scale innovative care approaches. Participants will leave with tools to support interdisciplinary collaboration, insights into leveraging academic partnerships, and a stronger foundation for developing models that improve care experiences and outcomes. 

Join us for this important conversation and walk away with actionable ideas to transform complex care in your community. 

Frontline workers are the heart of community care and when they grow, the whole system grows with them. This session shares how Nucleus Independent Living created the Client Care Lead role to elevate Personal Support Workers into leadership positions while improving care quality and workforce engagement. While developed for PSWs, the approach can be adapted for other roles such as nursing and community support staff.  

Through the real-life story of Porchia T., a PSW who transitioned into a leadership role, the session will explore how this model strengthens care coordination, mentorship, and staff retention. Attendees will gain access to a practical framework for frontline to leadership transitions, including coaching strategies, scheduling tools, and outcome data.  

This session is designed for managers and organizational leaders looking to build stronger teams by investing in the people closest to clients. Leave equipped with actionable strategies and the inspiration to grow leadership from within your own care workforce. 

As Canada’s senior population becomes more culturally diverse, Meals on Wheels (MoW) programs are facing new challenges and opportunities in meeting clients’ dietary and cultural needs. 

This interactive session will share findings from our research on culturally appropriate food provision in Ontario’s MoW programs and highlight real-world strategies used by providers. Participants will engage in peer learning and small-group discussions to reflect on their own experiences and explore practical adaptations. 

Walk away with fresh insights, shared experiences, and some concrete ideas to better address the cultural needs of your community! 

Caregivers are the silent backbone of our health system, yet many do not identify as caregivers or reach out for support until they are already overwhelmed or in crisis. This interactive session explores practical strategies for identifying and supporting caregivers early, helping to reduce distress and improve outcomes for both caregivers and care recipients. 

Participants will learn how coaching, peer learning, and tailored tools can embed caregiver-inclusive practices into everyday care. Attendees will gain access to concrete tools for identifying caregivers and connecting them with timely support. 

This session is designed for home and community care providers who want to foster a culture that values and supports caregivers as essential partners in care. Participants will leave with actionable resources, including six easy ways for providers to support caregivers, access to the Ontario Caregiver Organization’s Essential Care Partner Support Hub resources, information on the multi-sector Learning Collaborative and a guide to the free programs and services offered by the Ontario Caregiver Organization. 

Join us to strengthen your organization’s caregiver support and make meaningful change.

Ontario’s aging population is placing growing pressure on the health and social care systems. To meet this challenge OCSA has released a new policy paper, Healthy Ageing Community Hubs: A Proposal to Support Ontario’s Aging Population Through Coordinated Community Care. These hubs are a bold and practical vision for integrating health care, housing, and social supports to help older adults live and age well in their communities. 

This session will highlight key findings and recommendations from the paper, including lessons from existing models, proposed policy solutions, and a roadmap for implementation. It will also explore system barriers and identify next steps for the association in promoting this model. 

Designed for those working to strengthen care for older adults, particularly in planning, policy, service delivery, or advocacy, this session offers a deeper understanding of how community-based solutions can support healthy aging. 

Be a part of this conversation to explore the vision and help shape a more connected and community-based future for aging in Ontario. 

Designing responsive and equitable home and community care services for older adults begins with understanding their real-world needs. This session explores the diverse and holistic care needs of community-dwelling older Ontarians and introduces new tools to support data-informed planning at the point of care, organizational, and system levels. 

Presenters will share user-friendly clinical profiles derived from routinely collected health assessment data to help identify needs and support integrated models of care. The session will also highlight opportunities to enhance provider training and expand services that reduce the risk of premature admission to facility-based care. 

Ideal for care providers, planners, decision-makers, and anyone interested in supporting older adults to age well at home, this session offers practical resources to support knowledge sharing and continued learning, including peer-reviewed publications and research summaries. 

Take part in this vital conversation and leave with resources to help design smarter, more compassionate care for aging adults in your community. 

We are in a time of significant challenge and change in the delivery of health and social services in Ontario, where leaders are under greater demands for accountability, transparency, and rigour in decision-making. This session will explore key features of transformational leadership. It will cover the duties and responsibilities of Boards of Directors and the Senior Executive Team, review the legal standard of care in difficult decision-making, and identify the practice and procedure hallmarks of high functioning organizations. Participants will conclude with an interactive discussion on a current case example. 

Leaders are under greater demands for accountability, transparency and rigour in decision-making. This session will empower senior executives and governors with tools to effectively lead in times of change.   

Attendees will leave able to recognize the respective duties and responsibilities of Boards and Senior Leadership Teams, identify the legal standard of care when faced with difficult decisions, appreciate the multifaceted practices that define high functioning organizations in times of change, and apply tenets of leadership to current case examples. PowerPoint slides will be shared after the session. 

Despite its potential to reduce hospital visits and improve outcomes, remote care monitoring has not seen widespread adoption in home care. This session presents findings from a research study exploring the perspectives of home care nurses and the critical role they play in advancing this technology. Participants will gain insight into how nurses perceive the value of remote care monitoring, which patient populations they believe are most likely to benefit, and what supports are needed to successfully integrate it into daily workflows. 

The session highlights common barriers to adoption, including limited provider involvement, communication challenges, and the need for customized solutions that meet diverse client needs. Participants will explore evidence-based recommendations to overcome these hurdles and build more responsive, nurse-informed models of remote care. 

Designed for home and community care providers, organizational leaders, and digital health innovators, this session offers a roadmap for using frontline insight to turn remote care monitoring into a practical and impactful tool. 

Be part of the conversation shaping the future of remote care in home and community settings. 

Delivering truly integrated care in rural communities is complex, but when it works, the impact on clients is transformative. This session highlights how one rural organization has successfully co-located Community Support Services and Primary Care under one roof to improve continuity, coordination, and quality of care. Through compelling real-life stories, a panel of providers will walk through how this team-based model strengthens relationships, supports social prescribing, and centers the needs of clients who rely on both sectors. 

Attendees will hear both successes and challenges, along with insights into how collaboration has improved mental, physical, social, and spiritual outcomes for older adults. The panel will also discuss how targeted funding, including the Seniors Active Living Centre grant, has supported expanded programming in historically underserved communities. 

This session is ideal for providers, administrators, and planners looking to deepen cross-sector collaboration. Participants will leave with ideas, lessons, and strategies that demonstrate how integrated care can work in practice to support healthier aging in rural settings.  

Be a part of this conversation on real-world collaboration that is changing rural care delivery.