Caregiving is a universal experience that transcends boundaries, social statuses, and professional titles—even the world’s biggest celebrities are not immune.
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 […]
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 […]
Cold temperatures, snow, ice and longer dark hours present different challenges for caregivers and their loved ones. Add flu season and the lingering Covid 19 pandemic to the mix, and winter has the potential to become even more of a threat. It’s essential to be prepared to tackle the season head-on as an effective caregiver. Here are […]
One of the biggest concerns for family caregivers is feeling overlooked, demeaned, or dismissed in care settings. While they often have first-hand knowledge of their loved ones’ needs, they find that their contributions to care discussions are not valued. The good news is that there is growing awareness of the need to include family caregivers […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]