Family Caregivers BC

Family Caregiver Resources

Travel Tips

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TRAVEL TIPS

My mom is getting ready to visit our family and, although the flight isn’t excessively long, it still works out to be about a 12-hour day including layovers, flight time and getting to and from airports. She doesn’t complain about her physical challenges: a sore knee aggravated by tight spaces; walking long distances; standing for lengthy periods and on uneven surfaces; edema in her leg due to previous radiation treatments for cancer; and a shoulder prone to dislocation. Travelling often exacerbates her symptoms, but she doesn’t always vocalize these challenges. [Read more…]

Remembering Katherine Willett

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This is a team tribute to Katherine Willett who was fondly known by many nicknames in our Victoria Office at Family Caregivers of BC (FCBC).  Self-referenced as “Weedy Willett”, Katherine was tireless in her quest for family caregivers.  She dug into details and as the “Networking Guru” spread the word wherever she could about the need to get caregivers the attention they deserve in the health care system. [Read more…]

Tips for dealing with the health care system

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By Wendy Johnstone

Mrs. B is 70 years old was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease five years ago. She is on the highest dosage of a “memory pill” and is well supported at home with her spouse. She is very functional and maintains a high level of independence and quality of life. But cracks are starting to show. Three months ago she fell and hit her head hard resulting in blood on her brain and notably, a decline in her memory loss. Her physician felt it would be important to monitor over a few months to see how well she “bounced back”. Mrs. B also presents very well and most times when people meet her, they don’t understand just how affected she is by her memory loss. As she and her spouse went to see her physician today to make some decisions about her medication, a memory test was given. The physician was shocked at how poorly she did. Her spouse wasn’t as shocked. Mrs. B was devastated and was grief-stricken with news of her advancing loss. [Read more…]

Finding a New Normal

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A friend in his mid-50s cared for his wife for over 10 years before she died from complications related to her chronic and often unpredictable disease. He juggled being a business owner, a husband and a caregiver. After the initial shock and grief of losing his wife, he found himself wondering what his life was going to look like if he was longer a husband or caregiver. [Read more…]