Marlene Schlotterbeck, thanks for your remarkable support during the Pandemic!
We are especially grateful for the extraordinary dedication of our volunteer Marlene Schlotterbeck, who has made outstanding contributions to our Provincial and Greater Victoria Caregiver Support Program. Marlene first connected with us in 2019 at our Victoria Evening Support Group. Our facilitator and staff were inspired by her caregiver experience and involvement with her care recipient’s Care Home Family Council. We quickly encouraged her to attend our Caregiver Support Group facilitator training in Colwood in January 2020 and she has provided remarkable support at our virtual and in-person support groups these past years.
At the beginning of the pandemic, when isolation and lack of support was a huge burden for caregivers, Marlene immediately volunteered to launch our Virtual Provincial Caregiver Connect support group. Despite being a ‘new facilitator’ she placed her uncertainties aside to jump into this new role in a virtual world. Because of Marlene, caregivers around the Province would not have had this opportunity for support, sharing and mutual understanding. Our team is impressed with her commitment with these virtual peer-support groups in Victoria and around BC. She’s noted the importance of these bi-weekly and monthly meetings “as not all caregivers are able to leave their loved one to attend an in person meeting and some live in areas where there are no meetings” (Marlene Schlotterbeck).
Marlene accepted the challenge to facilitate our “Virtual Support Circle,” mediating a peer-support group with caregivers of people living in long-term care homes during the pandemic. Marlene has offered us tremendous insight, recognizing and acknowledging the stressful situation of visit restrictions in Long-Term Care during COVID. Marlene also went to the extra effort to facilitate our Saanich Peninsula Support Group in-person in accordance with the COVID protocols. She has connected deeply with those caregivers and provided us with helpful information about the continuity of this group.
Thank you Marlene for joining our FCBC volunteer team and for generously offering us the richness of your care for caregivers!
