Once a year in the spring, BIST holds a workshop for people who care ABOUT individuals who live with brain injury. Please stay tuned for more information about our workshop in 2024.

You can see the agenda of our 2023 Workshop below.

Additional Supports for People Who Care ABOUT Individuals who live with Brain Injury:

BIST Friends and Family Drop-In (ONLINE)
First Wednesday of the Month, 6:30 – 8 PM
Find out more, HERE.

Ontario Brain Injury Association Caregiver Support Group (ONLINE)
Groups run in 8-week series, must register in advance
Find out more, HERE.

Ontario Brain Injury Association Online Education Module
Caregiving After Brain Injury

Brain Injury Canada – FREE Online Course for Caregivers of People who live with Brain Injury
Family Caregivers: Introduction to Brain Injury

Welcome and Introductions

Laura Bellon; BIST, CEO

Get ANSWERS to YOUR QUESTIONS from a Neuropsychologist

Speaker: Dr. Carolyn Lemsky, Neuropsychologist & BIST Board Member 

With over 20 years of experience in brain injury, Dr. Lemsky has extensive knowledge and experience in the field – and she is here to answer YOUR QUESTIONS!

To help Dr. Lemsky prepare, we encourage participants to send questions in advance to: info@bist.ca and put ‘Question for Dr. Lemsky’ in the subject line.

About Dr. Carolyn Lemsky:

Dr. Lemsky is a board certified clinical neuropsychologist with over 25 years of experience working with people who are living with a combined challenge of brain injury, serious mental illness, and substance use disorders. She is the clinical director of Community Head Injury Resource Services of Toronto.

Self Care for Caregivers

Speaker: Nancy McDonough, Rexdale Community Health Centre (RCHC)

Self-care is an integral part; a vital component of an overall health care plan. Supporting the health and well-being of individual caregivers contributes to building thriving, healthy communities. Nutrition, physical activity, mental/emotional health and social connection all contribute to ensuring we stay healthy in mind body and spirit. This workshop will identify some of the challenges that family caregivers face and provide some simple self-care tools for ensuring we stay healthy and strong during stressful times.

About Nancy McDonough:

Nancy was the program coordinator for the RCHC Caregiver Capacity Building Project in 2018. The project was intended to provide support to Family Caregivers in the Rexdale community through skills development and knowledge building, access to resources and information, and social recreational programming focusing on self-care. Extensive community outreach and caregiver needs assessments were conducted in order to inform the development of the program. In partnership with a number of community agencies, RCHC delivered a successful caregiver support program for 2 years addressing many of the challenges faced by family caregivers in the community.

The Ontario Caregiver Organization: Information and Resources for Family Caregivers

Speaker: Katie Muirhead

Caregivers play an invaluable role in our healthcare system and communities, providing an estimated three quarters of care in Ontario. The Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) exists to support Ontario’s 4 million caregivers; ordinary people who provide physical and emotional support to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour. Join Katie Muirhead, Regional Lead from the Ontario Caregiver Organization to learn more about:

• the caregiving experience across Ontario
• the history and evolution of the Ontario Caregiver Organization
• the no cost programs and services that are available to caregivers

Talk by Family Members of People Living with Brain Injury

Listen to family members talk about their experience supporting a loved one with brain injury.

Learn About WRAP (Wellness Action Recovery Plan) Groups

WRAP Group Facilitator Fozia Murtaza will talk about WRAP Groups and how they can benefit people living with brain injury and the people who care about them.

Thank you to our Platinum Corporate Sponsor