Is It Time for Your Loved One to Leave Home? One of the most difficult decisions that a family caregiver can make is to put their loved one in a senior care home. Canadians’ commitment to keeping their elderly family members at home is evident in the numbers. Of the 6.2 million people in […]
Volunteer Time Banks for Eldercare Communities around the world are letting volunteers earn credits for providing senior care and companionship At 715,000, seniors are the fastest growing age group in Alberta. Estimates suggest their numbers will reach more than one million by 2035. The surge in numbers is quickly putting pressure on public healthcare […]
Best Tips for Long-distance Caregiving About 22 percent of caregivers in Canada live more than an hour away by car from their loved ones. Although just as fulfilling as caring for someone who lives nearby, long-distance caregiving can be much more challenging. In fact, research shows that it typically increases the risk of some […]
12 Secrets of the Most Effective Caregivers Whether you are new to caregiving or you have been doing it for a while, you might be wondering if there are any secrets to being an effective caregiver. After all, it’s not a role you take lightly, and you want to avoid common pitfalls. Caregiving can […]
Caregivers and the Healthcare System. How family caregivers feel about the relationship Caregivers’ relationship with the healthcare system has long been challenging. Although their role often requires them to help the person they are caring for navigate health systems, they usually find themselves marginalized. A study published in the journal BMC Geriatrics titled “Caregiving is like on the job training […]
How Ready Are You to Be a Caregiver? Although there are nearly one million caregivers in Alberta, the increasingly aging population guarantees that number will surge in the coming years. So, the odds that you will become a caregiver are high. However, most of us are not ready to take on this challenging role. […]
Why It’s Important to Identify as a Caregiver So, you think you are a caregiver, but do you really identify as one? A study revealed that just 42 percent of caregivers self-identified. Thirty-five percent of them did not comprehend they were caregivers until someone explained the role to them. Even more concerning, 24 percent […]
End of Life: What Family Caregivers Can Do to Elevate Patient-Centered Care Few things mean more to many of us than having our loved ones around us when we die. In many cases, that means family members who are also our caregivers. Dying can be extremely stressful and deeply saddening, especially if you are […]
Why It’s Important to Increase Caregivers’ Networks Unpaid labour by family caregivers saves taxpayers about $30 billion annually, according to the CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons). But while caregivers are providing invaluable support to family members and other loved ones, society is not supporting them in return. Numerous studies highlight the lack of […]
Mental Health and Caregiving More than 25 percent of caregivers report experiencing some form of psychological or emotional distress, according to Statistics Canada. It’s a reality that is making mental health and caregiving a priority at all levels of society. While any caregiver can be susceptible to the mental health consequences of caregiving — especially burnout — […]