CISP News & Media

Canada's Social Prescribing Conference: Early Bird Tickets Now Available!

A Message of Gratitude

As we approach the end of the year, our team is reflecting on the progress made to advance social prescribing across the country. The holidays serve as a poignant reminder of the importance of human connection, kindness, and compassion.

This article is one in a series, along with stories shared by several of our partners, as part of a special social prescribing storytelling campaign commemorating the International Day of Older Persons and National Seniors Day in Canada, on October 1. It symbolizes a collaborative effort among early adopters and leaders of social prescribing in Canada, aimed at elevating the prominence of the initiative. This campaign seeks to articulate the profound impact of social prescribing in enhancing the lives of older adults contending with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Join us in-person in Toronto, September 26 to 27, 2024, when we will host Canada’s first international social prescribing conference, featuring social prescribing champions from Canada and abroad!

International Social Prescribing Day was held on March 9th, 2023, and brought together communities, healthcare professionals, and individuals from across the world to celebrate the transformative power of social prescribing. This innovative initiative showcased the remarkable impact of connecting people with non-medical interventions for improved health and well-being.

Health-care providers are increasingly starting to use social prescribing — the suggestion of non-medical treatments to help their patients who present with non-medical symptoms like loneliness or isolation.

"A new healthcare hub, said to be the first of its kind in the country, is taking an untraditional approach to providing healthcare to Canadians. The Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing focuses on how the social factors of health affect patients, and the treatments prescribed aren’t always medications."

"What if, before you were released from the hospital, on top of medical advice, someone instructed you to sign up for, say, a Spanish class as part of your recovery plan? Or, instead, to spend a few hours a week volunteering at the local dog rescue? Thanks to “social prescribing” programs, which are drawing attention to the importance of social connection in the healing process and better health outcomes in general, this kind of advice is becoming more common. The growing movement is one that’s supported by recent research from the University of Toronto showing that, across a range of illnesses, people who were “thriving” in recovery all had one thing in common — social connection."