Sent on behalf of Dr. Justine Giosa, Scentific Director, SE Research Centre:

I am writing to tell you about an opportunity to participate in a brief (~15-20 minute) survey as part of a research study called “Co-designing action-oriented mental health conversations between care providers and aging Canadians in the community: mitigating the wider impacts of COVID-19”. The online survey will remain open until Thursday April 6, 2023.

This research is being led by researchers at the University of Waterloo, University of British Columbia, St. Francis Xavier University, and the SE Research Centre of SE Health. Dr. Justine Giosa is the lead investigator.

The study is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and has been reviewed by and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board.

About the survey

• We are looking for older adults (age 55+), family/friend caregivers, and community-based health/ social care providers to participate. You must be able to read, write, speak and understand English or French to participate, and currently be residing in Canada.
• In the survey, you will be asked to review a visual model, the Mental Health Continuum for Aging Canadians, that describes a range of mental health experiences. You will also be asked to indicate your level of agreement with the model’s components for guiding mental health conversations when receiving care in the home and community.
• Survey participants will have an option to enter a draw to win 1 of 10 $50.00 CAD gift cards from one of the following three vendors of your choice: 1) Amazon; 2) Indigo; or 3) Shoppers Drug Mart. To withdraw from the study but still be eligible to enter the draw you will be able to select “I choose not to answer” for all the questions in the survey.

Complete the survey here: https://uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0V7kmnpRU72MdnM

Thank you for considering taking part in this important work.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDY AND SURVEY

This study responds to the growing mental health crisis for Canada’s diverse aging population. The goal of this work is to act on priority research questions identified by older adults, caregivers, and health and social care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to co-design a process to support mental health conversations between health and social care providers and older adults in home and community care settings to de-stigmatize aging and mental health and build resilience through better linkages to support, care and treatment options.

The online survey is being conducted using Qualtrics software. The survey should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The first section of the survey will consist of several screening and eligibility questions. The second section of the survey will review information about the study and ask individuals to indicate their informed consent to participate. The third section of the survey will include questions about the visual model for mental health. The fourth section of the survey will ask a few demographic questions. The fifth and final section of the survey will ask whether you would like to be contacted about future phases of the research and whether you would like to be entered into a draw. If yes, we will ask you for your contact information.

Your name and contact information will be collected separately from your demographic and survey data. Your identity will be kept confidential. De-identified demographic and survey data will be aggregated for analysis.