Caregiver Relief Program

Individuals receiving Caregiver Relief from BIAPH are:

1. Caring for an individual with a primary diagnosis of acquired brain injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, epilepsy, 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.)
2. Providing continuous care to an individual with an acquired brain injury
3. Must be a registered member of BIAPH (which includes a $30.00 membership cost that can be paid once services have been approved)
4. The individual has not been a recipient of Caregiver Relief for at least 12 months. Individuals looking to become repeat beneficiaries will not be able to receive the Caregiver Relief for two consecutive 12 month periods but are encouraged to reapply for the Caregiver Relief Program for future years.

In addition to the minimum requirements, preference will be given to clients and families whose financial limitations would typically prevent them from accessing such services on their own. Successful applicants may be asked to submit proof of income by providing a copy of their notice of assessment issued by Revenue Canada for the most recent taxation year.

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). 

This program provides relief for caregivers of individuals with an 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:

A formal application must be submitted to BIAPH. Applications for service can come from the survivor, family members, or professionals (e.g., family physician, psychologist, social worker, etc.).

The Application Package should include:

• The completed Application for Caregiver Relief Form. Applications can be printed out, completed by hand, and returned to the office by regular mail, or scanned and emailed to BIAPH’s executive director, Ms. Jorun Rucels (jorun.rucels@biaph.com).
• A completed Medical Status Form must be submitted with the application. This form must be completed by a registered health professional (e.g., family physician, neuropsychologist, occupational therapist, etc.) who confirms the presence of an acquired brain injury.
• A completed “Consent for Release of Information”
• Registration dead-lines June 30 and December 31

The individual/family:

• may get help from a community agency or any other person to fill out this form;
• must sign the completed form to show it is true and correct; AND
• should never sign a blank

2. Decision Process:

Once the application is received, a member of the Caregiver Relief Committee will review the application and conduct a telephone screening interview with the individual or family. Once the screening interview is complete, the Caregiver Relief Committee member will discuss the client’s needs with the Caregiver Relief Committee, including recommendations for service provision.

PLEASE NOTE: All decisions about Caregiver Relief funding amounts are made on a semi-annual basis. Funding decisions are based on your individual/family needs and supports, services available, locally identified priorities, 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 waiting lists until additional funding becomes available.

3. Arrangement of Services:

Once recommendations are agreed upon, the client/family and relevant service providers will be contacted via mail, email, or telephone contact to initiate services. Before services can begin, both the family and the service provider must sign letters of agreement. These letters will include important information about the nature of the service provided and other expectations and procedures. If these letters are not complete, services cannot begin.

4. Service Provision: 

Once funds are allocated and a service provider is determined, families will direct their own care. Hours of service will be determined between the family and service provider. Please note that funding for services is based on the hourly rates of the service providers. In some cases, hourly rates differ for evenings, weekends or holidays. In those cases, funding cannot cover situations in which the hourly rate would be higher. Currently, there is a maximum allotment of 4 hours per week per client. Delivery of these 4 hours can be arranged with the individual service provider as needed. It will be up to the client and the service provider to determine a suitable schedule that works for both. Service providers require 24-hour notification to cancel or reschedule. In cases where this is not provided, BIAPH is required to pay them regardless, 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.

5. Service Duration/Discontinuation:

Clients/families will receive services for a 12-month period. The date on the Letter of Agreement will mark the start date for funding. After completion of the 12 months, the client/family will be required to submit a new application for services. There is no automatic renewal process or automatic “rollover” of services. In addition, 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. For those clients who contract/arrange their own private service provider, hours must be submitted on a monthly basis (even if no service hours were used for the month). Failure to provide this information may indicate lack of use of such services, it may result in discontinuation of services altogether. 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.

Program Guidelines Caregiver Relief Form

Application for Caregiver Relief Form 

Medical Status Form

Consent to Release Information Form