Caregiver Relief Program

Individuals receiving Caregiver Relief from BIAPH are caring for an individual with a primary diagnosis of acquired brain injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, vasculitis). Due to funding limitations and our mandate, we do not provide services to individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., Autism, Developmental Disability, Cerebral Palsy, etc.)

Please note, the Caregiver Relief Program cannot be used for the funding of active therapy or neurorehabilitation interventions (e.g., Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Support Worker). The purpose of the program is to provide relief for caregivers of individuals with acquired brain injury. As such, formal therapeutic goals are not expected to be met through BIAPH’s services and service providers are not expected to carry out therapeutic goals with the client.

1. Application Procedure:

Please complete our online application form. A formal referral is not required, applications can be made by a caregiver, survivor, family members, or professionals (e.g., family physician, psychologist, social worker, etc.).

Additional documentation such as medical records regarding the acquired brain injury diagnosis will be required during intake. Alternatively, a Medical Status Form can be completed by a medical professional (family physician, neurologist, social worker, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, etc.) who confirms the presence of an acquired brain injury.

2. Decision Process:

Once the application is received, a member of the Caregiver Relief Committee will review the application and conduct an intake interview with the individual applying for the program. Once the intake interview is complete, the Caregiver Relief Committee member will discuss the application to make a decision on services.  

Funding decisions are made on a case by case basis and the availability of Caregiver Relief funding from BIAPH’s yearly fundraising. Due to funding limitations, the Caregiver Relief Program cannot guarantee immediate service provision to all those who have been approved for service. It is possible that clients may be placed onto a wait list until additional funding becomes available.

3. Service Provision: 

The program provides a maximum of 4 hours once per week, per client. Service provider policy is set by the contracted provider. Most providers require 24-hour notification to cancel or reschedule. In cases where this is not provided, BIAPH is required to pay for the cancelled/rescheduled session, which further limits funding. As such, to avoid paying for services that are not provided, BIAPH reserves the right to discontinue services to clients who show a pattern of last minute cancellations or reschedules. Barring extenuating circumstances, if this occurs three times over the course of the 12-month contract, we retain the right to discontinue services. 

If clients/families know that they will not be utilizing service for extended periods (e.g., month-long vacation, prolonged hospitalization, etc.), we ask that they contact our office to notify us of this change.  Services may commence when the client returns home, however the arrangement would still end 12 months after initial start date.

If a client/family goes longer than 3 months without using services or contacting the Caregiver Relief Committee, they will receive notification that services are going to be discontinued and reallocated to a client/family on our waitlist.

4. Service Duration/Discontinuation:

Clients/families will receive services for a 12-month period ending one year from the original date services commenced. After completion of the 12 months, the client/family is eligible to request a continuation of services. Written requests can be sent to caregiver@biaph.com.