Dear Editor,
Re: Ralph Sultan: Caregivers Need To Be Given A Break As Society Ages
As the caregiver support program co-ordinator for North Shore Community Resources, Ralph Sultan’s piece certainly relates to trends I see. There are more family caregivers at home, less long-term care beds. There are more people in need, and not enough case managers and resources to meet that need. There is a lot of stress, frustration, exhaustion, resentment and depression.
Yes, a lot of the people we serve are of the Baby Boomer generation, but we also are noticing more younger folks looking for support. At NSCR, we offer a Caregiver Support Group, a Men’s Group (specific to men with partners at home or in care), a Bereavement Group as well as Persian and Korean Wellness and Education Groups. These are ongoing and open to all ages, and as they are all growing, there definitely appears to be a direct correlation to Mr. Sultan’s article. We also offer workshops free to members of our program.
We recently ran a workshop on boundaries with a clinical psychologist, and last week we co-presented a film on dementia around the world at Silver Harbour Senior’s Centre with a panel of experts doing a Q&A. Later this month we’ll be running a Be Safe At Home three-part workshop with a registered nurse. This year, we’ve had speakers on topics such as tax planning for caregivers and MAID, and we co-presented the successful Caregiver Expo with the North Shore News.
We also offer resources, a newsletter, blogs, and a peer-to-peer program. These are all designed for family caregivers, as the old adages “knowledge is power” and “I feel less alone” seem to ring true for many.
One of our wonderful volunteers recently wrote down the phrase “Who gives a care for caregivers?” and handed it to me, saying they thought it clever. Agreed … clever and so very apropos.
I believe programs like ours, and organizations like The Alzheimer Society of BC, Family Caregivers of BC, and Family Services North Shore, are doing our best to arm family caregivers with support, resources and programming, and I urge anyone going through the aforementioned stress and frustration to connect with us. You can find more information on our caregiver support program at seniors.nscr.ca/caregiver-support-program/.
Vic Gailiunas
North Shore Community Resources
