Healthcare Change Makers

A core component of what Christina Bisanz, CEO of CHATS, focuses on is understanding the caregiver perspective and the pressures that come with it. By listening to the experiences of caregivers, the programs and services offered by CHATS reflect their voices and respond to their needs.   "Caregivers really are the unsung heroes of our health system. If not for the presence and support that is being provided by informal caregivers, our health system could likely collapse," Christina explains. Christina also tells us about CHATS' Assisted Living for High-Risk Adults program and CIBPA Place, York Region's first not-for-profit Overnight Respite Care Centre for short-term stays. She also explains how caregivers and services provided for older adults support the health system as a whole and helps take pressure off other areas such as emergency departments. Quotables: "We believe aging should never mean that an individual loses their dignity, or their choice, or their agency on how they're able to live their lives."