Project 18: Socially Prescribed Programs for Unpaid Caregivers

Social Prescribing bridges and connects individuals to non-medical services within community settings to support their overall health and well-being, recognizing that social well-being is a critical factor in helping an individual to prevent illness, manage chronic conditions and improve one’s overall health and quality of life. As an example, social prescribing can involve referrals to non-clinical support programs such as dance classes, community hiking groups, art programs and more.

Allowing informal caregivers to participate in socially prescribed programs may help alleviate the disproportionately negative physical and mental health outcomes they experience due to their caregiving duties, allowing them to experience manage their well-being while also enhancing their skills in caregiving.

A scoping review allowed for a comprehensive mapping of existing studies involving socially prescribed programs for unpaid caregivers. This helped us to identify the current landscape of knowledge, key trends and gaps. The positive health and well-being outcomes observed to be associated with socially prescribed programs highlight their potential in being a valuable mechanism to support the needs of unpaid caregivers. At the same time however, there were identified challenges associated with the logistics of participating in socially prescribed programs, especially given that unpaid caregivers face certain barriers when it comes to factors such as scheduling, accessibility and transportation.