Family Caregivers BC

Family Caregiver Resources

How to Begin a Formal Mindfulness Practice

Written by Kate Landreth It is one of the most powerful practices and rituals in my life, and also the most challenging. It requires dedication, consistency, patience and curiosity. It is a practice of paying attention {to breath, or a concentration point}, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally. It is simple, but not […]

Mind-Body Connections For Caregivers

Written by Wendy Johnstone, originally published in Senior Living Magazine Caregivers providing care and support encounter a multitude of physical and psychological stressors. While caregiving is considered rewarding by most caregivers, it often creates significant stress. And research shows that too much stress negatively impacts one’s physical and psychological health, including depression, anxiety, and a […]

The Grief Response

By Janet McLean, Education and Engagement Lead for Family Caregivers of BC Tom Attig was a panelist in our “Coach Caregiver” webinar on Loss & Grief held in February 2017. This webinar was If you missed the webinar you can watch the recording on our website by going here: https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/video/coach-caregiver-loss-grief/ Tom has written several books […]

A Beginner’s Guide to Podcasts

Podcasts may have emerged onto the Internet scene in 2004 but for some this form of media still sounds like some sort of sci-fi reference. Once an obscure means by which to spread audio information, podcasting is now a recognized medium for broadcasting a growing variety of content including narrated slideshows, audiobooks, and even videos […]

Being a Personal Representative When Someone Passes Away

Written by Amy-Alexandra Jaworsky, Victoria lawyer So, you have been asked to act as an executor or perhaps someone has passed away without appointing one and you have been asked to take on the responsibility of administering their estate.When a person appoints a personal representative to act for them in their Will, they are referred […]

A Caregiver’s Experience: LifeLabs Mobile Unit to the Rescue

My husband, Ron, had a stroke eight years ago. Initially, he was completely paralyzed on his right side and came home from hospital in a wheelchair. He now walks using a cane or a walker. During his lengthy rehabilitation, he wrote a book about his experience,”The Defiant Mind – Living Inside a Stroke,” published in […]

The Resilience Battery: Why it’s Important to Keep Yours Charged

By, Nikita Paddock, PHN, BScN, RYT Resilience is often recognized after an event or situation that has pushed an individual, community, or group out of their comfort zone, or through trauma. Resilience can be better understood by comparing it to something we depend on: our smartphone battery. If you take a look at the upper […]

Cultivating Connection

Written by Mechthild Maczewski As we experience the second wave of COVID-19, increased isolation and the darker days of winter, the Canadian Mental Health Association points out just how important connections are: “We need each other more than ever as we live under the constraints of lock-down due to the pandemic. We need to be […]

What You Practice Grows Stronger

Written by Kate Landreth, Education Lead and Mindfulness and Yoga Teacher Like many things in life, whatever you think or do regularly becomes a habit. The aim of meditation is to train the mind, creating a strongly conditioned pathway in the brain. We practice meditation consistently so that when challenges inevitably arise, we can navigate […]

Building Caregiver Resiliency

Written by Wendy Johnstone “What happens if one of us gets COVID-19? We don’t have children locally who can help us, and I wouldn’t want to expose them either. My husband relies on me to provide care. I worry so much about this. I just don’t know what we’d do.” Margaret is caring for her […]