Discover how one family navigated the transitions of aging and caregiving with the compassionate support and continuity of care at Canterbury Foundation, where community and creativity make all the difference.
A reflection on non-conformity in the corporate world.
Caregiving is a universal experience that transcends boundaries, social statuses, and professional titles—even the world’s biggest celebrities are not immune.
This March, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s crucial to reflect on a pressing issue: the intersectionality of women’s roles in society and their predominant responsibilities in caregiving. Despite strides toward gender equality, caregiving tasks continue to disproportionately fall on women, often at a significant personal and professional cost.
Explore a touching story about caring for a loved one in their last days. This blog shares the ups and downs of looking after someone special, like a Nana, and how it changes us. Learn from one person’s journey through love, loss, and finding a new purpose.
Introduction: Caring for a loved one can be a deeply fulfilling experience, but it can also take a toll on the caregiver’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Caregiver strain, also known as caregiver burnout, is a common phenomenon that affects many individuals who devote themselves to the care of others. In this blog post, we will […]
In Canada, family caregivers play a critical role in providing care to loved ones who are ill, elderly or disabled. These caregivers provide a range of services including personal care, transportation, medical care, emotional support and more. In fact, caregivers spend 5.7 billion hours supporting others every year, valued at $97.1B Despite this critical role, family caregivers often go unrecognized and […]
Continuing care in Canada refers to the range of services and supports that are provided to seniors and individuals with chronic or complex health conditions, disabilities, or other ongoing care needs. Family caregivers play a critical role in supporting their loved ones who require continuing care. While continuing care can be a lifeline for families […]
Nearly eight million Canadians ages 15 and older are caregivers for a family member or friend. Like many other caregivers of any age, they provide this support out of love, compassion, and a sense of responsibility. However, their contributions, experiences and needs are often overlooked in conversations about caregiving in this country. Some refer to […]
Whenever a new year arrives, it’s natural to get into “resolution” mode. You start thinking about what you want to achieve and you might even start committing to paper a plan to reach those achievements. Whether you consider them resolutions or goals, one thing is for sure: As a caregiver, you should definitely be setting […]
Caregivers and their care recipients rely on provincial healthcare systems and organizations more than other Canadians. For some, their daily lives can seem like a never-ending sequence of shuffling back and forth between different health and caregiving professionals. Patient-centered care can help your loved one and you navigate the care system more easily. While there has […]
When you become a caregiver, learning from others plays a critical part in how effective you will be. It provides insight into challenges you’re likely to encounter and much-needed solutions or perspectives. In the end, it all benefits your loved one’s health and well-being, as well as your relationship with each other. Caregiving books, websites, […]
Despite its many rewards, caregiving is one of the most challenging roles you can have in life. Add the most stressful time of the year — and Covid 19 — to the mix and it can become downright miserable. For a significant number of Canadians, the holiday season is a source of anxiety, depression and loneliness. […]
Caregivers can make a critical difference in the quality of health care a loved receives when they leave the hospital to go home. Knowing what to expect, staying informed, and making key preparations will be vital in ensuring that few or no adverse events take place and that there is no need for readmittance to the hospital. […]
You’ve probably heard that being a family caregiver is one of the greatest acts of love and kindness. It can be extremely rewarding, including helping to prolong a close parent-child bond and setting an example for the next generation. Unfortunately, caregiving can also be fraught with unpredictability, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, and financial burden. Added together, […]
In Canada, there are currently more than seven million people aged 65 and older. It is the fastest-growing demographic in the country. Millions of seniors — and the organizations that serve them — rely on volunteers. In 2018, more than 24 million Canadians aged 15 and older volunteered, giving about five billion hours to their […]
Hiring an in-home, professional caregiver can be a daunting task. You want — and need — the help, but you might be reluctant to hand the reins over to a total stranger. It’s understandable. However, a comprehensive set of questions to ask caregivers during an interview will help to smooth the path. No doubt, you […]
5 Things You Should Know about Social Prescribing While you might not be familiar with the term “social prescribing,” chances are that you as a caregiver or your loved one has benefited from it in the past. It goes by other names, such as community referral or social referral, and essentially takes a holistic approach […]
Therapeutic and Uplifting Activities for Elderly People Without question, staying active is one of the best ways to enjoy better health and well-being as you get older. Some elderly people are able to have a fully active lifestyle, while others might have limited physical mobility that influences the types of activities they can do. But […]
How Ageism Affects Seniors Health and Wellbeing It’s ironic that even though the world’s older population is fast outnumbering younger generations, ageism is also on the rise. Increasingly, people over age 50 complain about experiencing ageism. You can find many personal stories on social media and in news reports. According to the WHO, ageism […]
Family Caregiver Leave: What You Need to Know About 35 percent of Canada’s workforce consists of employee caregivers. They are family members or friends who provide caregiving for a loved one while juggling the demands of work. Not surprisingly, many of them require family caregiver leave at some point, but some might be reluctant […]
5 Books Every Caregiver Should Read Whether you are a new caregiver or you have been one for a while, resources on caregiving are invaluable. In the beginning, you can feel like you’ve been thrown in at the deep end. The demands can be huge and seemingly endless, and the stakes are high. As […]
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 — […]
Balancing Work and Caregiving Nearly 1 in 20 family caregivers reduce the hours they work or quit working entirely to care for a loved one, according to a study published in The Journals of Gerontology. Taking into consideration the number of caregivers in Alberta — about 1 million — that translates into about 50,000 caregivers […]
Financial impact of Caregiving More than one in four Albertans aged 15 and older provide unpaid care for a family member or friend. On average, they spend about 15.1 hours every week providing caregiving duties — or 647 million hours per year. The value of that unpaid labour? It was estimated to be $11 […]
Caregivers are Essential Partners in Care. Let’s Treat Them That Way. It’s difficult to imagine how nearly 25 percent of the Canadian population has been so overlooked for so long. That figure — or 7.8 million people — represents how many family caregivers there are among people aged 15 and older in Canada. On a […]
Tips for Hiring an In-home Caregiver For most Canadians, aging in place — or staying at home as they age — is a much-cherished goal. But as we get older, chronic illnesses and disability often mean we need someone to assist us. However, only about 20 percent of long-term care in Canada goes to in-home […]