Caregivers Out Loud

How do familial expectations and cultural traditions impact how you show up as a family caregiver? This is a question Maybo Lui has considered ever since she unexpectedly became a secondary caregiver for her husband's father just weeks after they married. A registered clinical counsellor herself, Maybo observes her position from both a professional lens and a cultural one—as Chinese Canadians, the...

When a care recipient with Alzheimer's or dementia cannot interact like they used to, how do you forge connections in a new way? That's the question Helga Strauss was faced with when she became a caregiver for her father. Seeking the joy and laughter they had always shared, she turned to visual art—and suddenly, a practice she had always loved rekindled the pathways between them. Today, Helga is a...

How do you uphold respect and dignity for an ageing parent when balancing the regular demands of career and children? So many people today are part of the Sandwich Generation—caring for a parent while still managing work and raising kids. Ensuring your parent feels safe and cared for without losing sight of your own boundaries and wellness is a hard balancing act to manage. As a registered nurse w...

How can building a circle of care around yourself help you continue to deliver the best care? Even the most devoted and capable caregiver needs support in their role. From weekends away to help around the house, letting another caregiver take some of the demands off your plate keeps you well enough, in body and mind, to continue your important work. Greer Rosequist has plenty of experience being a...

How do you navigate the transition from child to caregiver of a parent while supporting both their dignity and your own wellness? Caring for an aging or ill parent comes with countless responsibilities, from prepping meals and scheduling medication to attending appointments and much more. While this shift to caregiver is, in some ways, a natural progression, it also requires you to navigate into a...

How do you maintain an intimate relationship when you become a caregiver for your spouse or partner? Sharing life as a couple means facing and overcoming countless challenges. For so many, the ultimate challenge begins when an illness is uncovered, and one of you must become a caregiver to the other. Rene faced this transition when her husband of 20 years was diagnosed with Parkinsons in his mid-4...

How do you begin the difficult dialogue around end-of-life wishes for your care recipient? When you are the caregiver for someone whose health is declining, the reality of death can be overshadowing and feel frightening to acknowledge. So often, it's as though we fear that simply speaking about death will speed it to our door. Karla Kerr, a funeral director and death doula in Victoria, BC, sees th...

What difficulties develop when a child becomes a caregiver to their own parent? Studies show that young caregivers make up at least 12% of Canadian youth. One of these young people is Kristie Mar. At just 16 years old, Kristie set aside a significant part of her adolescence to become the sole carer for her mother, who was navigating schizophrenia and anorexia. The medical professionals, counsellor...

How can you build a healthier relationship with death and dying that will benefit both caregiver and recipient? Aaron Yukich is an end-of-life doula, mindfulness practitioner, and hospice care worker. In his work with the Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line, Aaron incorporates meaning-making and self-reflection into his sessions with caregivers, helping them uncover new ways to provide...

How would you retain your sense of self if you required full-time care? When Brooke Ellison was 11 years old, a car accident left her a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Her mother Jean stepped into the role of full-time caregiver, and their familial and caregiving relationship balance has continued for over thirty years. Dr. Brooke Ellison graduated from Harvard, wrote two memoirs, and is a freq...

How do you honour both yourself and your family member when giving full-time care? In this episode, Jean Ellison speaks about her experience as a full-time caregiver to her daughter, Brooke, whose story of life as a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic is well-known and inspirational. For more than 30 years, Jean Ellison has balanced the roles of full-time caregiver and mother. While it was always cl...

At some point in our lives, we'll all be faced with a tough decision we didn't see coming. In most caregiving situations, people enter the caregiving role with love and passion. Then pretty soon, they begin to see some of the bigger implications, such as how finances are a big factor in the choices that affect the care recipient OR the caregiver themself. In today's episode, we chat with Shannon L...

Many caregivers are supporting care recipients from a long distance. This form of caregiving brings with it a unique set of challenges as we try to provide support from afar. In this episode, Bill guides a panel of long distance caregivers, Mary Chan, Karla Wilson, and Victoria Lougheed, through a dynamic conversation filled with positive energy and laughter. The foursome came together to talk abo...

The experience of living and caring for someone with dementia is not always a universal experience and there can be different situations and patterns. However, there are some similar challenges caregivers face when trying to communicate with care recipients who are living with dementia. In this episode, Bill Israel speaks with Amelia Gillies, a Support and Education Coordinator with the Alzheimer'...

How can we break down barriers and humanize the caregiving process? Through the power of pure emotion, unlocked through music. No matter what your musical background is, music used intentionally can be beneficial to improve health and well-being. Not only for the care recipient, but for you as well, as a caregiver. Today, we'll hear how music enhances the care experience. I sat down with Bev Foste...

Engaging with creativity is a form of self-care that can benefit both a caregiver and a care recipient in many ways. In 2015, psychologist and art therapist Dr. Cathy Malchiodi cited multiple studies confirming that being creative can increase positive emotions, lessen depressive symptoms, reduce stress, decrease anxiety, and even improve immune system functioning. A 2016 study in The Journal of P...

For many people as they age, living as long as they can in their own home is ideal. We love our comforts, our routine, and our independence. But there comes a time when the decision to have more support or to move into long-term care becomes a reality, whether because of a medical condition or safety concerns. This decision can be a significant challenge as there are many factors to consider when...

Once the decision has been made that placement in a care community is necessary, caregivers are often faced with the "what next" question. Because there are different levels of care and each community has a different 'personality', it's very important to be as prepared as possible for the transition. In this episode, we chat with Kathy Ajas, who for the last 17-years has worked in the retirement i...

Research shows that family caregivers who list self-care as a priority can better provide care, are at lower risk of burnout and becoming ill, and find more joy in their role as a caregiver. Starting with small acts of self-care can create the opportunity to see the benefits. Calling a friend who lifts you up, accepting help, finding five minutes for a cup of tea in silence, or closing your eyes a...

28% of Canadians or 1.8 million people, provided care to a family member or friend with a long-term health condition, disability or ageing need in the past year. Three-quarters of this group (6.1 million) were employed at the time, accounting for 35% of ALL employed Canadians. More and more people are becoming caregivers and a lot of these caregivers are balancing employment and caregiving. In tod...

When we think about grief, we often think of it as something that happens following a death. However, grief can begin long before death arrives. The grieving process can start as soon as a caregiver is aware that death is a likelihood or once death is on the horizon. Many caregivers dealing with an impending death will experience overwhelm, anxiety and dread. As well, before the death of a care re...

Have you ever said this to a struggling caregiver - "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help?' The offering has good intent, but many times people say it because they don't know how to help, are uncomfortable, or want to be polite. And although 29 percent of caregivers in BC are in distress, you will still hear caregivers say: 'I don't need any help' or 'It's okay, I'm fine'. Today we hea...

Becoming a caregiver can creep up on you. Maybe it starts with dropping by your mom's house to do her laundry or taking your dad to a doctor's appointment or delivering groceries to your friend. Gradually, you find yourself doing more and more as the person you are caring for needs more support. You may not even realize it, you are making a commitment to care for someone else. Today we speak with...

Grief is a human experience and it often feels messy or is accompanied by not knowing if you are "doing it right". Grief and loss can feel isolating. And many caregivers share different examples of grief, such as grieving the loss of your old life during caregiving and then also grieving the loss of the person you are caregiving for. Normal does not exist during grief and in today's episode, we ch...

13 million Canadians or nearly half of the total population have provided care at some point in their lives. Yet caregiving may be a new term for many people. And often, unpaid caregivers do not identify with this title, as they feel it is part of their relationship with family or friends.  In today's episode, we speak with Pat, who acknowledges that she was initially unfamiliar with the term care...