Accessing Health Services

Below is a list of directories and websites where you can search for health care professionals and services. Other strategies for finding providers with experience with Long COVID are:

• Word of mouth from other people with Long COVID–people you know personally, people you meet in peer support groups, people who are social media content creators, etc.

• Word of mouth from providers, through their professional networks. 

• Guest speakers of Long COVID educational webinars or events or names of providers in this material (see Our Favourite Long COVID Websites for some examples of educational webinars and events).

 

You can ask providers if they have experience with long COVID or ME/CFS. See also Navigating the Health Care System topic.

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Primary care and Long COVID care

• Long COVID Web offers a directory of Long COVID clinics across Canada from (look under “Finding Support and Getting Help” tab). This webpage also contains directories of other healthcare providers (such as physiotherapists and counsellors) who have experience treating people with Long COVID. Please check the list for your province.

 

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy

• Find an occupational therapist in your province by preference. 

 

Mental Health Resources and Supports

These resources are for anyone who needs emotional support or mental health support. See Mental and Emotional Health topic for strategies for feeling positive and increasing emotional energy.

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General mental and emotional health support

• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a community mental health organization in Canada whose mission is to identify and respond to the most pressing mental health priorities. The website offers suggestions on how to seek help for your mental health, information on various mental and emotional wellness topics, and information on various mental illnesses

 

Coaching

• BounceBack is a free skill-building program managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). It helps people of all ages manage low mood, mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress, or worry. The program is delivered over the phone with a coach or through online videos.

• Grieving Together is a resource and service by Alberta Health Services to help people impacted by loss.

 

Crisis lines and help lines

• Suicide Crisis Helpline 9-8-8: Call or text 9-8-8 to reach a trained responder.

• Suicide.ca is a suicide crisis helpline for anyone thinking about suicide or worried about someone. Call 1-866-277-3553 or text 535353 to connect with a counsellor.

• Hope for Wellness Helpline is available 24/7 to all Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Call 1-855-242-3310 or go to the website to chat with someone online.

 

Resources for Caregivers

 

Support and general information

• #MEAction Caregivers’ Support Group is an international Facebook group for caregivers to support one another. 

• Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence is a nation-wide website that offers information and free virtual sessions.

• Young Caregivers Association website offers virtual workshops and information for young people who are caring for someone with a chronic condition.

• Care Options is a 4-page info sheet on how caregivers can support the person they care for developed by the Government of Canada.

• Loving Someone with ME/CFS by SolveME is a 3-page infosheet on how to help someone you love who has myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, which has many similarities with long COVID. 

• Family Caregiving by Healthexperiences.ca offers a series of video interviews with caregivers. The stories include experiences related to self-care, the impact of caregiving on their own health, support from family and friends, and more.

• The Caregiver Space is a website that offers articles and resources relevant for caregivers.

• Caregiving Matters is a website that offers a resource directory for caregivers by category.

• Family Caregiver Alliance is a caregiver service based in San Francisco. The website offers online tips and resources for caregivers.

• Caregivers Alberta offers support, coaching, and resources for caregivers in Alberta, as well as information for employers to support caregivers in the workplace.

• Caregiver Connections is a program of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Alberta to provide peer support for parents and caregivers of people with mental and emotional health concerns. 

• Patients4Change is a grassroots initiative to connect patient/family advisors and advocates.

 

Financial information

• Canada caregiver credit is a non-refundable tax credit for someone supporting a spouse or common-law partner, or a dependent with a physical or mental impairment.

• EI caregiving benefits provide financial assistance while you are away from work to care for or support a critically ill or injured person.. 

 

Advocacy

• Carers Canada is a national coalition dedicated to increasing recognition and support for caregivers

 

Finances and Return-to-work

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Information for your employer

• Recommendations for Employers, Insurers, Human Resource Personnel and Rehabilitation Professionals on Return to Work for People Living with Long COVID from Realize Canada is a guide for employers and others to support return to work for people with Long COVID.

• Long COVID: A Manager’s Guide from the Society of Occupational Medicine (United Kingdom) offers information for workplace managers on how to support people with Long COVID to return and stay at work. 

• Duty to Accommodate: A General Process for Managers is a tool by the Government of Canada that provides a step-by-step process for employers and managers to foster an inclusive workplace by creating a barrier-free working environment.

 

Returning to work

• Returning to work with persisting coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms from the National Health Services (United Kingdom) is a webpage that offers information on return to work rehabilitation and communication and managing symptoms at the workplace.

• Neil Squire Society offers skills training, employment planning assistance, and more

• Job demands and accommodation plan tool (JDAPT) is a tool that can help identify the demands of your job you may be having difficulties with and potential job accommodations to address these difficulties. 

• Return to Work by the Long COVID Physio group is a page that provides links to various resources and information for people with Long COVID returning to work.

 

Disability benefits and claims

• A Roadmap for Disability Income Benefits from Realize Canada is a guide for people with long COVID on the types of disability benefits available and information regarding disability claims (including legal redress for denied claims). 

• Tips for people living with Long COVID on managing health care interactions and disability claims from Realize Canada offers tips on how to navigate disability and employment claims

• Disability tax credit (DTC) helps reduce the income tax that people with physical or mental impairments, or their supporting family members, may have to pay.

• Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) benefits are designed to provide partial income replacement to eligible CPP contributors who are under age 65 with a severe and prolonged disability. There are three kinds:

  • CPP disability benefits (if you are unable to work due to a severe and prolonged disability)

  • CPP Post-Retirement Disability Benefit (if you are under 65, receiving CPP retirement pension, and now have a severe and prolonged disability)

  • CPP children’s benefit (for a dependent child [under 25] of a person receiving a CPP disability benefit or CPP post-retirement disability benefit)

 

Other

• Donate A Mask is a volunteer-run charity that aims to supply high quality respiratory protective equipment for all Canadians. It offers free masks for people facing financial barriers, as well as an online retail store for masks and other supplies which helps to fund their work.

 

Where to next?

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Review the  Tools and Worksheets, Navigating the Health Care System, Mental and Emotional Health topics of MyGuide.