Social prescribing: expanding the boundaries of health
Social prescribing is a holistic approach that creates a formal way for health providers to address a wide range of key social, health and wellness needs. It’s an approach that’s gaining momentum and has led to the creation of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing. The COURAGE team asked Kate Mulligan, Senior Director of the Institute, to share her insights about the power of social prescribing.
“Will you help us feed the birds?,” Mary’s family doctor asks her. Mary had mentioned feeling isolated at home as part of her regular check-up, one that screened for her social needs, not just clinical health. Her doctor observed that Mary would benefit from a friendly visitor and connected her to a community service navigator.
A recent retiree known for her love of nature, she had a long history of volunteering and giving back to her community. Even though Mary was uncomfortable being on the receiving end of support services, she agreed to a social visit by a community volunteer. Over a cup of tea, Mary was intrigued by a weekly bird seed delivery program that allowed her to support the local bird population and continue making a difference in her own backyard.
Over time, as Mary’s well-being improved, she stopped needing to see her doctor as often. She also took up the invitation to become a bird seed delivery volunteer herself, providing a simple “social prescription” for herself and others. Today, both Mary and her doctor are happier, knowing that her needs are taken care of and she is active in her community again.
All across Canada, people are building better relationships for health at home through social prescribing — a way to address the social causes and contexts of a person’s health needs.
I’ve been thinking about home a lot lately as I consider the call to help aging Canadians keep well and socially connected. Much of what makes up our health, from what‘s over our heads to what goes on at our kitchen tables, happens in our relationships at home and in our local communities — more than genetics and clinical health services combined.
All across Canada, people are building better relationships for health at home through social prescribing — a way to address the social causes and contexts of a person’s health needs. Social prescribing is an approach that seeks to fill in the gaps by connecting people with community resources to reduce loneliness and isolation and support health and well-being. A prescription could include social or physical activities or practical supports for daily living.
Social prescribing recognizes barriers to health equity and takes a strengths-based approach, addressing what’s wrong by starting with what’s strong within people and communities. It puts people at the centre and builds pathways between what’s available in the health system and in community. People and communities are in the driver’s seat. Along the way, both medical and social services become more effective through new connections and insight into the health impacts of social interventions.
There is a lot of good work happening all across Canada right now that falls under, or close to, the umbrella of social prescribing for aging populations.
Nationally, the National Friendly Calls Program keeps older adults connected.
Provincially, Healthy Aging CORE in B.C. and Alberta and Links 2 Wellbeing in Ontario strengthen partnerships between health and social care providers.
Locally, hundreds of community- and provider-driven projects across the country help connect people with food, arts, parks, income and more.
Not every related project describes itself as social prescribing, nor includes all the elements that make social prescribing so transformative. And not everyone working on these projects knows — yet — that they can connect with like-minded people in other parts of the country to grow and improve their work.
That’s why we’ve established a home for social prescribing in Canada: the new Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP). Anchored by the Canadian Red Cross and working in a collective impact model with many partners from across health and social sectors, CISP will help us identify, map and connect the diverse expressions of social prescribing across Canada and offer people opportunities to share their strengths while learning from others about how to improve and grow their social prescribing practices.
It will also help us profile the human stories of social prescribing — the leaders making this happen in their communities, health and social care practices, research or policy work. As we connect, collaborate, celebrate and co-design approaches to social prescribing in Canada, we learn from each other to inform the funders and decision makers who can help make social prescribing a regular part of our health and social systems.
CISP will prioritize community voices and health equity at the forefront of social prescribing. We’re focusing our efforts on supporting leaders who are using social prescribing and the populations facing health inequities and those working on partnerships in both small and larger organizations. Working together like this can help each of us take our next step toward social prescribing, no matter our social, professional or geographic location.
This is much more than a clearing house for information. It’s a movement. Together, we can make CISP a home: a dynamic (and sometimes messy!) place of community- and relationship-building that can help us all keep well and socially connected.
Kate Mulligan is the Senior Director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing. She leads high-impact advocacy and research for healthier, more equitable and more sustainable policy and practice. Kate is also an Assistant Professor at University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health.