October 11, 2018 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm America/Vancouver

Are you prepared for what is to come along your caregiving journey? When you provide care for a sick, disabled or elderly loved one you will face a number of challenges throughout the many stages of caregiving. This learning event will examine the journey caregiving takes us on – no matter when it may happen in our lives.

This webinar will help you discover the following stages of caregiving and what you show know every part of the journey.

Pre-caregiving and its early stages:

Before becoming a caregiver: do we have the skills to provide care? Is there a time in our lives when we are better prepared? Does the type of caregiving make a difference?
The “Arc of caregiving”, from the early pre-crisis stage involving “need creep” and the self-sacrifices caregivers make to the aftermath of post caregiving.
Coping strategies in the early stage: part caregiver part loved one, difficulty acknowledging or accepting the label “caregiver”.

Middle stage:

The transition to the middle stage of caregiving as pressures increase, it usually begins with a crisis leaving you with a “before” and an “after”. This stage is also characterized as a time when “from struggle comes strength” and a big part of this strength comes from tackling the HUGE challenge of health system navigation.

Understanding what your care recipient wants.
Understanding what are your boundaries as a caregiver.
How to cope with increasing care demands.
How to reach out for help; support groups can be invaluable.
How to deal with fatigue.

Final stage:

During this stage the caregiver has to switch from “doing” to “be-ing” which can be a very peaceful time that allows the caregiver to get to know the care recipient differently and for the care recipient to get to know the caregiver at last.

Palliative care;
Grief – the aftermath of caregiving. It becomes necessary to have a new purpose or suffer complicated grief.

A question period will follow the presentation.