How to Become a Care Partner

At St. Joseph's we take great pride in the community that we've created across our organization. Our vision is to earn 
complete confidence in the care we provide we do that by building trusting relationships with patients residents and family caregivers it's all about partnerships. It's really important to bring family members into play and what we found was that those patients that had a family member who was engaged in their care did much better in the long run. It's a critical component because they really do help to motivate the patients they do help to reinforce a lot of what we do. I had a stroke. My daughter's been here every day and she's been an angel. Day one, my mom could barely say her name and she couldn't move her entire left side. I'm progressing, I'm building confidence and each activity I overcome because I want to continue my life. It's really important for me to be here because i know my mom probably the best out of anyone. I know that my mom progresses really well knowing that there's someone familiar around to help her with that encouragement. 
They feel empowered to help their loved one recover and it helps them feel comfortable that their loved one is receiving the support that they need in order to have the best chance of recovery. She pushes me, she gives me confidence. I can't do it without her. It's being just able to communicate and giving opportunities for the family to engage the information gets heard better when you have two people there who are living together sharing the same experience and it's very important to always pull back and realize what the patient's goals are and what the family's goals are. They're the experts on their life we're there to learn from them and create a plan for them in the end that's what we're about. We're about helping people and getting them to where they 
want to go we also have to know what the family is capable of doing because when the patients leave here they're going to be left with primarily their family being their major support systems. This is a lifelong journey for us and i need to know what's going on so that I can understand what her needs will be when we move forward in the future it's really everybody's job clinical or non-clinical to partner with patients and family caregivers as a former patient I've experienced the care here sharing experience helps the hospital understand the patient's needs and perspectives. I believe patients feel more respected when we involve them and their caregivers in the treatment. We're able to provide the best care and support possible for the patient. The more engaged you have the family members, the more likely you're 
going to have success. We are better together. 

Organizational Change

• Capital Master Plan Project: Thirty care partners contributed essential input during the planning process, helping define our long-term vision for healthcare services and facility needs over the next 5 to 25 years. Their perspectives ensured alignment with both community and hospital goals.
• Statement of Patient, Resident and Family Values: Care partners participated in focus groups to analyze feedback from approximately 200 patients, residents, and family members across five sites. This process helped ensure that our values, originally developed in 2018, remain relevant and meaningful.
• In both projects, care partners were actively involved in steering committees, shaping decisions at every stage.

Quality Improvement

Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Education: A team of five care partners developed educational content on infection prevention and control, which has been shared with patients, residents, and families organization-wide.

Storytelling

• Care partners inspire and connect through storytelling at events like Breakfast of Champions, Social Workday, Seasons of Celebration etc. These stories leave a lasting impact on staff, community members, and healthcare planning.

Research Projects: Care partners collaborate with research teams at the Parkwood Institute Research and Lawson Research Institute, working to enhance the effectiveness and impact of research projects.

Hiring Panels: Trained care partners serve on hiring panels, asking thoughtful questions and offering feedback that helps hiring managers select the best candidates for St. Joseph’s.

Patient and Family Councils: There are seven patient and family councils across the organization that address ongoing challenges and ensure patient and family perspectives are central to our work.

Are you interested in improving the quality of the care we provide in your community?  
Could you provide insight and ideas based on your experience within health care?   
Are you at a place in your health or care giving journey that you could provide appropriate input/feedback to move work forward?  
If so, then being a care partner might be right for you. Reach out to the Care Partnership Office to find out more.

• A passion for enhancing the health care experience for patients and families  
• The ability to share insights and information about their past experiences to help evolve programs, services and hospital priorities  
• A good listener  
• Respect other people’s opinions and perspectives  
• The ability to share your thoughts and opinions in a group setting  
• Being open to seeing beyond your own personal experiences to contribute constructively  
• Being open to working with others whose backgrounds, experiences and styles may be different than your own

Care partner roles are non-paid volunteer roles.