Time to Talk Podcast

Que signifie devenir une personne aidante à seulement 18 ans — et comment porter cette responsabilité tout en construisant son propre avenir ?

Dans cet épisode puissant, nous nous entretenons avec Apollo Grey Danis, une jeune personne aidante de 20 ans en Ontario, qui partage son parcours profondément personnel en soutenant simultanément trois membres de sa famille : ses grands-parents et son arrière-grand-mère. Tout en conciliant des études à temps plein, un emploi à temps partiel et un engagement communautaire, Apollo parle ouvertement des réalités émotionnelles, physiques et mentales du rôle de personne aidante à un jeune âge.

Du deuil à la suite du décès récent de son grand-père à la gestion des défis quotidiens liés au rôle de personne aidante — notamment le soutien à des membres de sa famille vivant avec une cécité et le fait de vivre avec un TDAH — Apollo offre une perspective honnête et touchante sur ce que signifie réellement être présent·e pour les personnes que l’on aime.

Dans cet épisode, nous explorons :

• La réalité d’être une jeune personne aidante en Ontario
• L’impact du rôle de personne aidante sur la santé mentale, l’identité et l’autonomie
• Le poids émotionnel du deuil anticipé et de la perte
• L’équilibre entre les études, le travail et les responsabilités liées au rôle de personne aidante
• L’importance des réseaux de soutien et de prendre soin de soi
• La représentation et la défense des droits à travers le travail d’Apollo avec FrancoQueer

Apollo partage également son travail avec FrancoQueer, le seul organisme francophone 2SLGBTQ+ en Ontario, où la personne sensibilise et milite pour une meilleure compréhension des identités diverses et des réalités vécues.

Pour plus de ressources et de soutien pour les personnes aidantes en Ontario, visitez aidantsontario.ca

Dans cet épisode, l’artiste, mère et personne aidante Nathalie Nadon partage son parcours profondément personnel en soutenant son ex-conjoint à travers un diagnostic de cancer colorectal, une crise de santé mentale inattendue et le long chemin qui a suivi. Ce qui a commencé comme du soutien à un partenaire s’est rapidement transformé en un rôle de personne aidante à temps plein — gestion des soins médicaux, des finances, de la parentalité et du quotidien au plus fort de la pandémie.

Nathalie aborde avec franchise la réalité du rôle de personne aidante : la charge de travail invisible, le poids émotionnel et le moment où l’on réalise que l’on assume des rôles pour lesquels on n’a jamais été préparé·e. Elle parle ouvertement de l’épuisement, de la pression financière et, ultimement, de la décision difficile de se séparer, tout en continuant d’être présente pour sa famille.

Cette conversation explore également :

• Le chevauchement entre maladie physique et santé mentale
• La charge de travail cachée de 30 à 40 heures ou plus liée au rôle de personne aidante
• Comment demander de l’aide et bâtir un réseau de soutien (« village »)
• Des conseils pratiques pour gérer les documents, les finances et les ressources
• Les effets à long terme du stress lié au rôle de personne aidante et de l’épuisement retardé

Nathalie partage aussi son expérience en soutenant la grand-mère de son fils dans son deuil, et la façon dont le rôle de personne aidante se poursuit même après une perte.

Aujourd’hui, elle transforme son expérience en actions concrètes. Nathalie dirige des initiatives de soutien pour les personnes aidantes francophones à travers l’Ontario grâce au projet « Tu comptes », aidant les personnes aidantes à accéder à des ressources, à bâtir une communauté et à se sentir moins seules.

Pour en savoir plus et accéder à des ressources pour personnes aidantes : https://tucomptes.ca
Pour plus de ressources et de soutien pour les personnes aidantes en Ontario, visitez aidantsontario.ca

In this deeply insightful episode of Time to Talk, host Michelle Jobin sits down with Sherron and Clovis Grant, founders of the Sawubona Afrocentric Circle of Support (www.sawubonaacs.org). Together, they explore the unique challenges Black caregivers face in Ontario, from systemic barriers to microaggressions in schools and healthcare.

Sherron shares her journey of raising a child on the autism spectrum while navigating spaces that often lack understanding or cultural representation. She highlights the importance of community, support networks, and culturally specific programs for families who feel unseen. Clovis discusses fatherhood, caregiving, and creating innovative spaces to engage Black fathers in conversations about caregiving, mental health, and self-care.

Listeners will learn how Sawubona supports families through education, empowerment, and advocacy, while also guiding mainstream organizations to better understand the needs of racialized caregivers.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in Black caregiving in Canada, inclusive support systems, and the intersection of culture, race, and family advocacy.

For more resources and support for caregivers in Ontario, visit ontariocaregiver.ca. 

Advance care planning is one of the most important, and most avoided, conversations families have.

In this episode of Time to Talk, host Michelle Jobin speaks with Dr. Kenneth Hook about advance care planning, healthcare decision making, and what happens when families are forced to make critical medical decisions without knowing what their loved one would have wanted.

Drawing on more than four decades of experience in family medicine, Dr. Hook shares what caregivers and families often misunderstand about advance care planning in Ontario. He explains why these conversations matter long before a health crisis occurs and how they can prevent confusion, conflict, and guilt during difficult moments.

Through powerful real-life stories from his medical career, Dr. Hook illustrates what it looks like when families must make life-altering decisions in hospital settings without clear guidance. These stories highlight why preparing a substitute decision-maker and talking openly about values, wishes, and future care is so important.

In this episode, you will learn

• What advance care planning really means in Ontario
• Why healthcare decisions often fall to family caregivers
• How to prepare a substitute decision-maker
• Ways to start conversations about future medical care with loved ones
• How planning ahead can reduce stress for families during medical emergencies

Whether you are caring for an aging parent, supporting a loved one with complex health needs, or thinking about your own future care, this episode offers practical guidance for navigating healthcare decisions with clarity and confidence.

For more resources and support for caregivers in Ontario, visit ontariocaregiver.ca. 

Caring for someone you love can feel overwhelming, isolating and at times impossible. In this episode of Time to Talk, we explore what happens when caregivers are finally supported, heard and connected to the right resources.

Host Michelle Jobin is joined by Stephanie Van Buskirk, Caregiver Link Worker with the Ontario Caregiver Organization, and Karen Doughty, a caregiver who supported both of her parents through terminal cancer diagnoses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karen shares her deeply personal story of anticipatory grief, exhaustion, isolation and the quiet ways she lost herself in caregiving. She speaks candidly about neglecting her own needs, struggling with boundaries and feeling completely alone until she was introduced to caregiver social prescribing and the SCALE program.

Stephanie explains how caregiver social prescribing works. Through referrals from primary care and community health teams, caregivers are connected to a dedicated link worker who provides non-medical supports, warm introductions to community resources and access to programs like SCALE.

SCALE, which stands for Support Caregiver Awareness, Learning and Empowerment, is a free eight-week psychoeducational series delivered in partnership with community and primary health care teams. Caregivers participate in group learning and guided debrief sessions that create space for validation, shared experience and connection.

If you are a caregiver, this episode is a reminder that you deserve support too.

Learn more about the Ontario Caregiver Organization: https://ontariocaregiver.ca

You can find information about caregiver social prescribing and register for the SCALE program on the website. Caregivers can also access support directly through the OCO helpline listed on the homepage.

This episode is part of our ongoing commitment to amplifying caregiver voices and connecting families with meaningful support.

Caregivers manage a lot — appointments, finances, online accounts, and high-stress decisions — and scammers know exactly how to exploit those pressures. In this episode, host Michelle Jobin is joined by Theresa Ebden, Vice President of the Investor Office at the Ontario Securities Commission, to talk about how financial fraud is evolving and why caregivers are often targeted.

Drawing from both professional expertise and personal caregiving experience, Theresa explains how modern scams work, including AI-driven impersonation, phishing emails, romance and investment scams, crypto fraud, and the grandparent emergency scam. The conversation explores how urgency, emotional stress, and multitasking can make it harder to spot red flags, and what caregivers can do to protect themselves and the people they care for.

Listeners will hear practical guidance on slowing down urgent financial requests, verifying identities, having safer conversations about money, and using protective tools like a trusted contact person. Theresa also shares where to find reliable information and how to report suspected fraud, including resources from the Ontario Securities Commission, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca.

For questions about potential investment fraud or to verify concerns, caregivers can contact the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) Contact Centre at 1-877-785-1555 or by email at [email protected]. Suspected scams can also be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

This episode is a must-listen for caregivers looking to stay informed, reduce risk, and feel more confident navigating financial decisions during already demanding times.

For more information on the Ontario Caregiver Organization, visit ontariocaregiver.ca.

Caregiving often begins quietly and gradually becomes all-encompassing. In this episode, host Michelle Jobin sits down with Dr. Adriana Shnall, Program Director of the Baycrest Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Caregiving and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, to explore the realities of caring for older adults and the growing role of digital tools in caregiving.

Drawing on decades of research and frontline experience, Dr. Shnall discusses why many people don’t initially identify as caregivers, the emotional and practical challenges that emerge over time, and the unique pressures of long-term and dementia-related care, including transitions into long-term care. The conversation also explores how technology — including AI-driven tools — can support caregivers by helping them organize information, prepare for medical appointments, and navigate complex systems, while reinforcing that technology should enhance, not replace, human connection.

The episode introduces two free, evidence-based resources from Baycrest designed to support caregivers at different stages. The Canadian Caregiver Assessment and Resource Tool (C-CART™) helps caregivers identify their needs in under 10 minutes and connects them to tailored supports (https://c-cart.baycrest.org/). For caregivers whose family member has recently moved into long-term care, the Canadian Caregiver Adjustment Needs Tool (C-CAN™) offers targeted support for the emotional and practical challenges of this transition (https://www.baycrest.org/Baycrest/Coming-to-Baycrest/For-Family-Caregivers/Family-Caregiving-Innovations).

Throughout the conversation, Michelle and Dr. Shnall emphasize a core message: caregivers are not failing, caregiving is not a problem to be solved, and no one should have to do it alone.

For more information on caregiver supports and services in Ontario, visit ontariocaregiver.ca.

Caregivers play a critical role in keeping older adults safe, especially when it comes to preventing falls. In this episode, Pamela Fuselli from Parachute joins the conversation to talk about why fall prevention matters so much and why many caregivers are still navigating this responsibility without enough training, resources, or support.

Pamela shares why falls remain the leading cause of injury related hospitalizations and deaths among older adults and how this reality can create stress and fear for caregivers. She explains how Parachute is working to close this gap through caregiver-informed resources, including a caremaker’s guide to fall prevention designed with real world caregiving experiences in mind.

You’ll also hear practical, approachable tips caregivers can start using right away, from spotting potential hazards at home to having open and respectful conversations about safety with those you care for. 

Learn more about fall prevention for older adults at https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/fall-prevention-for-seniors/caregivers-guide-to-fall-prevention/, and explore additional caregiver-informed safety resources at parachute.ca.

For more information on the Ontario Caregiver Organization, visit ontariocaregiver.ca.

Becoming a caregiver at a young age can change everything. In this episode of Time to Talk, Michelle Nguyen shares her experience caring for her mother after a lung cancer diagnosis, and the emotional, financial, and personal challenges that followed.

Joined by Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, the conversation explores what young caregivers often face—from navigating a complex healthcare system to balancing caregiving with work, school, and mental health. They also discuss the importance of community, self-care, and finding support early, as well as the growth and resilience that can emerge from caregiving experiences.

This episode offers validation and insight for young caregivers, and a reminder that support and connection matter at every stage of the caregiving journey.

For more information on the Ontario Caregiver Organization, visit ontariocaregiver.ca.

To connect with Michelle Nguyen, you can find her at:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mnguyen29Instagram: www.instagram.com/wisdomecho.ca

In this episode of Time to Talk Michelle Jobin is joined by Teri Hart, host of The Hart Of It All podcast, who shares insights from her own caregiving journey and the realities families face when supporting aging loved ones.

This conversation explores the emotional, practical, and financial complexities of caregiving, including the hidden barriers seniors face when navigating digital systems and accessing benefits. Teri and Michelle also discuss the disproportionate impact caregiving has on women, the need for workplace policies that better support caregivers, and why it’s so important to normalize conversations about aging and care.

Honest, thoughtful, and practical, this episode offers validation, perspective, and encouragement for anyone caring for a loved one.

To hear more conversations about caregiving, you can find Teri’s podcast The Hart Of It All wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more information on the Ontario Caregiver Organization, visit ontariocaregiver.ca.