OCSA 30th logo

Registration is now open and member tickets are only $99 and non-members pay just $149!

Join us this October for OCSA CommunityConnect 2022, a virtual speaker series designed for health care leaders and sector professionals. Learn about new innovations in the sector, lessons learned post-pandemic, the evolution of integrated care, and how we can future proof healthcare.

As OCSA celebrates our 30th anniversary, we believe it is more important than ever to lift the voices of those of us working in home and community care. CommunityConnect 2022 will feature dynamic speakers and engaging sessions, and will create an opportunity for us to connect and collaborate.

CommunityConnect 2022 will once again be delivered in an easily digestible format that works around your schedule. Join us every Thursday in October from 10AM-11:30AM. Look out for updates on our speakers and program coming soon. Register now to connect this fall!

Register today to connect this fall!

For questions regarding your registrations, please email Janice Bedore at communityconnect@ocsa.on.ca.

Change has Changed: How to Thrive in a World of Perpetual Change

As a leader, managing change is nothing new. So, why does it feel so much harder now? 


Because change has changed. It’s no longer an event to prepare for, but a constant reality to cope with. With this unrelenting pace and intensity, your exhausted employees don’t have a chance to recover from the last initiative before moving on to the next one. Over time, even the best employees will either give up and check out, or try so hard they eventually burn out. 


While you can’t stop the tsunami of change, as a leader, you have more power than you think to create calm within the storm. 


In this session, you will learn how to: 

  • help people focus on what matters most and reduce the harmful effects of multitasking
  • surface and move your team through resistance and drama rather than getting stuck in it. 
  • implement practical strategies to develop your own resilience so you have the energy, patience, and endurance to be there for your employees over the long haul.


The Danish Model for Seniors Care: Lessons Learned & Takeaways that can be applied to the Development of OHTs in Ontario

Denmark is regarded by many as the gold standard in elderly care. The country spends more on home care than institutional care and allocates significant resources to enabling seniors to age in place. 


This session will take a deep dive into the Danish Model for Seniors Care. 


Join us as we discuss: how the model is structured, how services are accessed and funded, the role of different providers, lessons learned and any comparisons/comments with respect to the Danish model and the development of OHTs in Ontario. 


Presenters

  • Nanna Skovgaard
  • Patrick Boily

Part One: ‘Not Just Tea and Cookies’ – What We Have Learned About CSS Clients

John P. Hirdes PhD will use interRAI assessment information to describe the characteristics of persons being served across home and community care,  with an emphasis on the complexity and needs of community support service clients.


Part Two: Are you RAIdy?  

Leslie Eckel will introduce the newly formed team at Ontario Health responsible for supporting community support service (CSS) organizations  in the use of interRAI assessments. She will provide an overview of the types of support being developed for the sector, with an emphasis on supporting the  CSS sector in their role as members of an Ontario Health Team.  In addition, Michal Wallen will share the interRAI education program, as well as describe her role in supporting organizational use of the integrated assessment record (IAR).


Leslie and Michal would like to hear from you! What type of support would help your organization make better use of the interRAI assessment information? What type of information would help you to address the priorities of the people you serve? Please come and join the conversation. A survey asking about the sectors’ information needs will be forwarded prior to the presentation, and results will be shared at the presentation itself.  


Presenters

  • Dr. John P. Hirdes, PhD FCAHS. Professor, School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo and a Fellow of the Balsillie School of International Affairs. 
  • Michal Wallen, B.A., Digital Excellence in Health, Ontario Health
  • Leslie Eckel, Lead, Knowledge Translation & Exchange, Digital Excellence in Health,  Ontario Health

From Risk to Resilience in the Time of COVID-19: Key Lessons Learned from Ontario’s High Priority Communities Strategy (HPCS)

The pandemic revealed that communities experiencing overlapping intersectional risks due to sex, gender, racialization, income, housing, employment, and other socioeconomic factors, are also more likely to experience illness and disability, but less likely to access the health and social care they need.

This session draws on findings from a recent multi-pronged evaluation to examine the design and impact of Ontario’s High Priority Communities Strategy (HPCS) in Southeast Markham, one of 17 HCPS’s located in diverse, at-risk communities in different parts of the province. The initiative employed a “lead agency” model and partnerships with 20+ grass-roots organizations, to connect diverse, at-risk communities to essential COVID-related services such as vaccinations, tests and wrap-around community supports. In doing so, it created a resilient community-based network that can pivot, post-COVID, to take on pressing  health equity and population health issues such as women’s health and mental health. 


This session will:

• Provide an overview of Ontario’s High Priority Communities Strategy (HPCS)

• Present findings from a recent evaluation of the Southeast Markham HPCS

• Offer key lessons learned for community support agencies and Ontario Health Teams tasked with advancing health equity and population health issues in diverse, at-risk communities across the province.


Presenters 

• A. Paul Williams, PhD., Professor Emeritus, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

• Janet M. Lum, PhD., Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University

• Freida S. Chavez, RN, MHSc, DNP, FAAN, Professor Emerita, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto


 Member

$99


 For all OCSA members
in good standing

Non-member

$149


All non-members, colleagues, and supporters of OCSA

Member Group Rate

$789


Perfect for groups
of 8 to 10 people

If you are looking for a group rate of more than 10 or a non-member group rate please contact communityconnect@ocsa.on.ca or call Janice Bedore at 1-800-267-6272 or 416-256-3010 ext. 224. 

Full speaker series registration includes all programming and networking opportunities as well as perks!

Each attendee must purchase an individual registration, unless they are under the group rate. There is no 'splitting' or 'sharing' of registrations allowed and there are no one-day tickets. OCSA will be checking each registrant's ID against the registration master list during and after the event and any discrepancies will result in invoices sent to unpaid registrants and their organizations after the event. 

FAQs

Got a question? We’re here to help.
  • What is your cancellation policy?

    This year's virtual speaker series will not be offering refunds given that the event is offered at an affordable price point. However, you may substitute a colleague in your place up to October 1 at no cost. Please see the Substitution Policy below for more details.


    Refunds are not issued for "no-shows," given that session recordings will be made available after the event for 6 weeks. Event organizers reserve the right to cancel or change program sessions due to insufficient registration or change in availability.

  • What is your substitution policy?

    f you are unable to attend the Speaker Series, you are welcome to send a colleague in your place for the entire event. There is no fee to make this change up to October 1, 2022 provided you email communityconnect@ocsa.on.ca by that date. After October 1, 2022 no substitution requests will be processed.

  • What if I cannot attend one of the Thursdays?

    Our Speaker Series is set at an affordable price to cover the cost of all 4 sessions for the month of October. Registration includes the cost of live programming, the recordings (for up to 6 weeks after the event) and other event perks.


    If your schedule conflicts with one of the Thursday 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. timeslots you will be able to access a session recording that will be made available after the event for 6 weeks.  Please note that one-day tickets or refunds are not available.

  • Can I 'split' or 'share' my ticket?

    Each attendee must purchase an individual registration, unless they are under the group rate. There is no 'splitting' or 'sharing' of registrations allowed and there are no one-day tickets.


    OCSA will be checking each registrant's ID against the registration master list during and after the event and any discrepancies will result in invoices sent to unpaid registrants and their organizations after the event. 

  • What is your recording use policy?

    We will be recording all speaker sessions from the series for possible use in our marketing, publications and presentations. By virtually attending this series, you acknowledge that your likeness or voice may be recorded and grant OCSA permission to use these video images and/or audio files.

Our Sponsors


Session Sponsor

OASSIS is a not-for-profit Group Benefits organization that serves not-for-profit organizations exclusively. 

OASSIS is not a broker and therefore no commissions are charged, resulting in greater savings.

Session Sponsor

Founded in 1925, VHA Home HealthCare is a not-for-profit, charitable organization made up of over 2,500 diverse home care specialists providing high quality care, with great heart, to vulnerable populations in the communities we serve. We provide personal and home support, nursing, rehab and community support services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to clients in their homes, in schools, in retirement homes and in other home and care settings. VHA is committed to partnership with clients and families, invests in research and innovation to make care better for our clients and providers and collaborates with sector partners to deliver enhanced integrated care. In every role and at every level, we lead with purpose, build bonds that matter and we’re passionate about providing spectacular care.

Session Sponsor

SE Health is a leading social enterprise and one of the largest diversified home health organizations in Canada.

SE Health provides health care services across many areas of the health system, including home and community care, long-term care, acute care and primary care.

Game Sponsor

Caredove is an Ontario-based eReferral management platform that creates trusted networks of home and community services. Clinicians can search for services, book appointments and manage eReferrals within Caredove. 

Session Sponsor

Johnson is proud to be dedicated to Canadian professional associations like the Ontario Community Support Association members and their frontline employees. As their preferred insurance provider, Johnson offers savings on home and car insurance.

Questions?
Ontario Community Support Association 
416-256-3010 | 800-267-OCSA
ocsa.conference@ocsa.on.ca

​Non-Endorsement Statement
The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) does not endorse or recommend any product or service that may be cited, used or discussed in OCSA publications, trade shows or in presentations at events associated with OCSA.

Share by: