Filtered tag: Aging Loved One

  Being a caregiver and taking a vacation don’t always go hand in hand. In fact, it isn’t particularly easy for caregivers to book time off. When talking to our clients about taking a break or using respite, we are usually met with some resistance or legitimate concerns: “Who will look after my Dad overnight?”… Read more…

  Several of our clients have enjoyed travelling this summer, and we’ve had the privilege of assisting them with their planning. Along the way, we’ve learned a few new things about seniors travelling on their own and with a family member. It seems like a good time to share them. Whether you are taking a… Read more…

This, our third and final column on Work and Eldercare, will give you a summary of options to assist in balancing caregiving roles with your work. Many businesses have family-friendly options that can help balance the demands of family caregiving and work. The bulk of major Canadian collective agreements have options designed to increase flexibility… Read more…

If only balancing work and eldercare were as simple as a basic mathematical equation! But wait, maybe it is… Assessing work situation + assessing how eldercare activities affect your work = identifying a plan to achieve balance OK, OK, it’s a stretch but a good place to start. Our last column talked about the first… Read more…

You are in a work meeting and your cell phone vibrates. You ignore it. Two minutes later, it vibrates again. You check the number and see it’s your mother calling. Between meetings you call her back and she tells you she needs to go to a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. You wish that she had… Read more…

One of the biggest social phenomenon to hit our nation moves front and centre during Family Caregiver Week in British Columbia from May 7 to 13. Unpaid family caregivers are “unsung heroes” in B.C. communities and make up over 25 per cent of our population. Family Caregiver Week is an opportunity to increase public awareness… Read more…

One of the main reasons family members take on the role of caregiver is because they love their aging loved ones and they want to help them with a better life and prolonged independence. Sometimes though, the rewards of caregiving are outweighed by the stress, physical and emotional work, which invariably leads to burnout. How… Read more…

  The joy that accompanies the holidays can often feel absent from the halls of a residential care facility or in a widowed grandparent’s home. Our aging loved ones can often feel more lonely or isolated as a result of changes in their senses, memory loss, illness or a loss of mobility. Visiting around the… Read more…

I’ve developed a new philosophy… I only dread one day at a time.” — Charlie Brown For caregivers, the holidays are often a particularly stressful time of year. Coming face to face with the changes in their loved one’s life is hard enough. Add in gift buying, decorating and entertaining on top of caregiving responsibilities… Read more…

When I was 34 years old, my Nana Cumming died after very slow death from Alzheimer’s disease. I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time and was unable to travel back to Ontario. In many ways, I said “goodbye” a long time ago. I remember grieving most when her dementia was progressing and she was… Read more…