NO ONE WALKS ALONE, WE WALK WITH YOU
The question of “what will happen to the people we care for when we can no longer care for them?” has long been an issue of concern for families and other caregivers of people experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges – and it’s an issue of concern not only for families and other caregivers in Canada, but also for those in Australia.
This question captures the growing fear of thousands of caregivers in Ontario and Australia — many of them aging caregivers — who provide the only consistent supports for family members living with serious mental illness or addictions. Without a plan in place, these vulnerable individuals are at significant risk of homelessness, food insecurity, social isolation, increased 911 calls, hospitalization, substance relapse, and even incarceration.
In 2025, MICA and the Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill (ARAFMI) - the peak body for unpaid carers of people experiencing mental ill-health in Queensland, Australia) embarked on a collaborative effort in order to map out and develop solutions aimed at addressing this pressing concern
We believe the question of “what will happen to the people we care for when we can no longer care for them?” can be solved through:
A project focused on the development of a tool kit that invites caregivers to share their stories, supporting caregivers’ efforts in planning for when they are gone, raising awareness and involving those that share our concerns.
A survey - we invited caregivers to share their stories – stories that assisted us in identifying potential gaps in supports when the caregiver is gone. We asked questions about the types of support they currently provide for the person they care for and at what cost and finally, whether they already have plans in place for the future.
A Planning Guide - a plan that ensures a safe place to live and continued mental and physical well-being for those they care for - keeping it simple but understanding the plan needs to address some of the challenges in more detail from providing for personal and community supports, as well as trusted legal, financial and property management supports
A caregiver developed a video to capture what we heard – although the music and video were AI generated the lyrics were the words of a family expressing what it means to them as they support a family member living with mental illness and/or substance use disorder.
A Caregiver Future Planning Pilot Project – an action plan exploring a service delivery model that is all about community and caregiver engagement focused on the delivery of core components of support. Let us share ‘why a pilot project’ For those interested in learning more about our project including what we heard, our analysis, our call to action and our proposed vision in motion: click here
MICA