Conestoga College in Waterloo, Ontario, has received $800,000 in federal funding to create new training resources for people caring for family members or patients with dementia. The money was awarded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to help improve the quality of care for seniors while providing better support for their caregivers.
The project is being led by the Conestoga College Centre for Health Care Research and Innovation and will run for two years. This funding is part of a larger $4.7 million national investment into community-based health programs across the country.
Caregivers will soon have access to free online lessons, video seminars, and peer support groups in both English and French. These tools are designed to help people feel more confident and less stressed while managing the daily challenges of dementia care.
To make sure the training is useful for real-life situations, an 18-member advisory group made up of caregivers and health professionals is helping to build the program. The college expects to have these free resources available to the public by early summer 2026.
Local members of Parliament Tim Louis, Bardish Chagger, and Dominique O’Rourke stated that the initiative will help give caregivers the specific skills they need. The project leader, Linda Sheiban Taucar, says the goal is to empower caregivers through better education and community connections.
