What we teach — and how.
Six practical areas of Alberta-focused home care rights education — covering rights, continuing care standards, program pathways, complaint options, and reasonable care requests, in plain language, with materials being developed in English, Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Amharic, and Oromo for community education settings.
Six Topic Areas
Many families do not know that publicly funded home and community care may be available in Alberta, that an assessment can help determine what supports may fit their needs, or that they can ask about reassessment when care needs change. Alberta law and continuing care standards recognize privacy, dignity, respect, and person-centred care in different ways, depending on the setting and provider.
We teach Alberta families how to understand the difference between legal rights, continuing care standards, program rules, complaint pathways, and reasonable care requests — in plain language, in their language, through community education settings including masjid-based halaqas where available.
Home Care Options & Access
Publicly funded Home and Community Care, Client-Directed Home Care Invoicing, and Self-Managed Care — what each pathway may involve, who it may fit, and what questions families can ask.
Privacy & Health Information
Health and personal information may be protected under Alberta privacy laws, including the Health Information Act or Alberta's private-sector privacy law, depending on the provider and the type of information. Learn what questions to ask about how care plans, schedules, and personal information are shared, stored, and accessed.
Faith-Based Care & Food Requests
In some care settings, halal food requests may raise religious accommodation questions under Alberta human rights law. Learn how to make a clear request and where to ask for help if it is refused.
Care Assessments, Reassessments & Review Questions
Families can ask about reassessment when care needs change, ask to involve a support person in care planning where appropriate, and ask what review, complaint, or appeal pathway may apply if they disagree with a care decision.
Elder Abuse & Protection
Financial exploitation, neglect, unsafe care, and serious disregard for a senior's dignity, culture, or faith may be concerns that should be documented and escalated through the appropriate pathway.
Caregiver Workplace Rights
Paid caregivers may have workplace safety rights and duties under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act, depending on their work arrangement — including the duty to take reasonable care and the right to refuse work where there is a reasonable belief of an undue hazard.
"Knowing what to ask, what to document, and where to escalate can help a family move from feeling stuck to taking the next step."
We named this program Knowing Your Rights. The initials KYR echo the transliteration of khayr — خَيْر — a word associated with goodness, benefit, and wellbeing.
The saying, "The best of people are those most beneficial to people," is commonly cited in Islamic teaching. We include it as a reminder of service, benefit, and responsibility, and we ask Allah to put khayr in this work.
Going Deeper
After a Knowing Your Rights session, families are better prepared to ask questions, document concerns, and identify public contact options or community resources when care is not working.
Home care options
Participants learn about publicly funded Home and Community Care, Client-Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI), and Self-Managed Care as different program pathways. They learn that families can call Health Link at 811 to ask about arranging a continuing care assessment, what to ask during the assessment process, and how to ask what is funded, what is not funded, and whether any fees, costs, or program limits may apply.
Privacy and health information
Participants learn that Alberta privacy laws may protect health and personal information in different ways depending on the provider and the type of information. They learn practical questions to ask: how are care plans shared, where is information stored, who can access it, and how can a family ask for clarification?
Faith-based care and food requests
Participants learn that Alberta human rights law protects against discrimination in services on the basis of religious belief. In some care settings, halal food requests may raise religious accommodation questions. Families learn how to make a clear request, how to document the response, and that the Alberta Human Rights Commission explains its complaint process publicly and does not require a person to have a lawyer to begin the process.
Care assessments, reassessments and review questions
Participants learn that families can ask about reassessment when care needs change, ask to involve a support person in care planning where appropriate, and ask what review, complaint, or appeal pathway may apply when they disagree with a care decision — including care hours, equipment requests, funding questions, or care-plan content.
Elder abuse and protection
Participants learn elder abuse warning signs, documentation basics, emergency safety steps, and reporting pathways — including when the Protection for Persons in Care Act may apply and when to call 911. Financial exploitation, neglect, unsafe care, and serious disregard for a senior's dignity, culture, or faith are named as concerns that should be taken seriously and escalated through the appropriate pathway.
Caregiver workplace rights
Participants learn that paid caregivers who are workers may have duties and protections under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act, depending on their work arrangement. This includes the duty to take reasonable care and the right to refuse work where there is a reasonable belief of an undue hazard. These workplace safety duties and protections cannot simply be removed by a private agreement. If a caregiver feels pressured to ignore safety concerns, they should seek advice from an appropriate workplace safety or employment resource.
Session Delivery
Sessions are designed to be offered as guest-speaker segments within existing Muslim community gatherings — halaqas, senior circles, or community education spaces — where available. Wherever possible, we bring the education into gatherings the community already attends.
- 📍Monthly guest-speaker sessions designed for existing Friday and Saturday halaqas, senior circles, or community gatherings at Edmonton masjids where available
- 📄Plain-language resource guides in English, Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Amharic, and Oromo — designed for legal and language review before publication
- 🏡Limited outreach or home-visit education may be offered where capacity, safety, and volunteer availability allow
- 🚗Transportation support may be coordinated where available
- 🎥Session recordings on YouTube and KnowingYourRights.ca — free online, with Alberta-focused legal and program information
What to Expect
Sessions are designed to fit into existing halaqas, senior circles, or community gatherings where available, so families can learn in familiar community spaces.
You attend a familiar community gathering
Where a session is being hosted, the education is brought into a gathering families may already attend, instead of asking seniors to navigate a separate formal workshop.
A team member presents one topic
Each session focuses on one topic area — plain language, no legal training required. Sessions may be presented in English with interpretation where available.
You may receive a take-home resource guide
A plain-language guide in your language, where available — to keep, share with family, and reference when you need it. Guides are being prepared for legal and language review before publication.
Questions and follow-up
Questions are welcomed during and after the session. If your situation needs more than a public education session can offer, we can point you toward public contact options or community resources, such as Health Link 811, AHS Patient Relations, the Alberta Human Rights Commission, emergency services, or local community supports where appropriate.
"Some situations need professional help — but no question is too small to ask in a learning space. You deserve clear information about your rights, options, and next steps."
Ready to attend or host? Get in touch →
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