This poem was written by the mother of a person receiving home share services. Thank you for sharing these inspirational words with us, and for allowing us to share your words with others!
ODE TO A CAREGIVER
CLBC Update for Home Share Providers…
Hey everyone, CLBC has circulated an update to Home Share Providers about the work of the Home Sharing Working Group on these topics:
- B.C.’s COVID-19 immunization plan
- Reviewing CLBC’s Home Sharing Plan
- Home sharing projects: Referral and crisis response, Home sharing handbook, Standards for coordination of shared living
- Studying a possible new home sharing entity
- Ongoing COVID resources
- Next telephone update with Dr. Behn Smith
PPE Supply Hub Update
Hi all:
Please see this link for the update from CLBC about Personal Protective Equipment Program that is offered through the Province of British Columbia.
Seems like a great program and will provide PPE to residential and home share service providers at no cost.
Stay safe!
CLBC Update for Home Share Providers
Hey everyone, home share providers and service providers can join in CLBC’s telephone conference update next Tuesday, January 26, to get COVID-19 health and safety information from:
- Dr. Daniele Behn Smith, Deputy Provincial Health Officer
- Ross Chilton, CEO, Community Living BC
- Brenda Gillette, CEO, BC CEO Network
Service providers and home sharing providers can pre-submit COVID-19 questions until the end of the day Jan. 21 to: CLBCInfo@gov.bc.ca (use the words “COVID CALL” in the subject line). Questions about vaccination are being sent to the office of the Provincial Health Officer, and Dr. Behn Smith will provide an update.
The conference will go from 1:35-2:30 pm (Vancouver time). Call in to: 1-877-353-9184 (participant code: 87916#). Special instructions: Due to the number of expected participants, please begin to dial in as early as 1:25 p.m.
End of an era… thanks COPCS!!!
From Karen Milner, on behalf of the Home Share Team at Community Connections:
We would like to say a huge thank you and sad farewell to the Central Okanagan Professional Caregivers Society (COPCS). It must have been a difficult decision to dissolve the society in July 2020 but understandable given the size of the organization and the scope of the work on a handful of dedicated volunteers.
Since 2008 this group has worked tirelessly to support caregivers in positive, practical and meaningful ways.
Some of their many accomplishments have been:
- Securing discounts at local retailers for their membership.
- Developing a benefit package.
- Representing home share providers on a provincial working group that was mandated by Minister for Social Development and Poverty Reduction to address common issues for caregivers province wide.
- Developing a home share provider appreciation award dinner.
- Instrumental in the Parliamentary decision for provincial increases for home share providers.
- Organizing countless well attended seminars and workshops with local and international presenters.
- Informing home share providers of any current news pertaining to caregiving and upcoming courses and workshops.
- Acting as a resource for the myriad of questions and concerns faced by caregivers.
- Creating celebrations every year for their membership…BBQ’s and holiday gatherings, fundraisers and prizes!
- Keeping home share providers informed during this difficult pandemic year of Covid 19.
Good luck and thank you to Margaret Milsom and Jack Sawatzky who were instrumental in organizing COPCS, breathing life into it and volunteering hundreds of hours! Thanks also to the incredible volunteer boards over the years and to Colleen Anderson, the COPCS representative in the south Okanagan.
Your efforts, ethics, spirit and work will be sorely missed!
CLBC HSP Conference Call
Hey everyone, the next teleconference call for service providers and Home Share Providers with Dr. Behn Smith will be Dec 8th:
Date: December 8, 2020
Time: 1 – 2:15 p.m.
Call in: Vancouver 604-681-0260, Elsewhere 1-877-353-9184
Participant code: 37568#
Caregiving And…SELF-CARE
We are celebrating Caregivers the whole month of November! This week we are talking about Self-Care. Let’s dive right in.
DIVING IN: What is self-care? You are a caregiver, and the work you do is very important and very rewarding – but it can also mean your own needs get put last on a to-do list that can seem never-ending. Self-care is everything we do for ourselves that makes us feel relaxed, whole, energized, and rejuvenated. It helps us feel ready to take on what’s next (whatever that is!).
DRILLING DOWN: Why choose self-care? Choosing to take care of yourself means you are able to give keep giving care to others – check out this video that talks about why it’s so important!
DIGGING DEEP: Where to start. Start small, even 5 minutes once in a while, and build up from there. What “works” for self-care is completely individual for each of us. Try lots of self-care options to figure out what works for you! Or, “self-share” if connecting with others is what helps you “self-care”! Here are some ideas:
- try a self-care assessment worksheet, self-awareness or self-care journal sheet, or affirmations for caregivers from this website!
- try a self-compassion guided meditation!
- try a self-compassion exercise!
- try a 3-minute care tip video about self-care!
- try treating yourself to a relaxing experience, like an at-home spa night or a relaxation bubble bath!
- try getting outside, at least once a day!
Try anything and everything until you find what works for YOU! Share your favorite experiments with us in the comments!
Important Survey…
Hi everyone: please see the attached invitation/ info for an important CLBC survey involving home share. The survey is here: https://survey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eldXDuH2cFTpTr7
Caregiver Supports…
We are focusing on CAREGIVERS this month! We have talked about some big caregiver issues – stress, compassion fatigue, and tools & training. One piece of advice offered to help cope is to connect with other caregivers and others who understand what you’re going through – in person or online! A way to connect virtually can be through podcasts for caregivers. For examples, there is a link here where you can check out a podcast called The Giving Tree by Amanda Rocheleau (a Registered Social Worker and compassion fatigue specialist) for helping professionals and caregivers.
THANK YOU CAREGIVERS for all you do!
Caregiving And…TOOLS & TRAINING
We are celebrating Caregivers the whole month of November! This week we are talking about Tools & Training. Let’s dive right in.
DIVING IN: What are tools and training? You are a caregiver, and the work you do is very important and very rewarding – but it can also mean you’re faced with changes and have to respond. Tools and training are the things that can help you respond. Tools and training can be anything from workshops and seminars, to articles and books, to videos and panel conversations, to forms and policies, to templates, plans, and checklists, to strategies and techniques…while it’s impossible to list them all in one paragraph, it’s true that, in a digital age, tools and training opportunities are more accessible than every thanks to think internet.
DRILLING DOWN: Why bother with tools and training? Changes can happen fast, whether it’s the needs of the person you support, your personal situation, or the world we live in — as we have seen this year with COVID-19! It can be stressful and feel overwhelming. One piece of advice to help cope with caregiver stress is focusing on the things you can control – like having a plan or developing skills that support you to respond to unexpected changes when they happen. Tools and training help you to feel prepared.
DIGGING DEEP: How to find tools, and get training. Tools and training are more accessible today than ever before. Which resources and opportunities to pick depends on your individual circumstances. We can often help point you in the right direction, if you ask us! Here are a some examples.
TOOLS:
- for supporting people who have multiple sclerosis, dementia, or cancer
- for sleep quality issues and improvement
- for helping identify compassion fatigue and burnout
- for help tracking mood and managing anxiety
- for online safety and teaching internet safety
- for planning and quality of life inspiration
- for a way to self-manage anxiety using an app
- for focusing on quick, 3-minute care tips
TRAINING:
- in putting on and taking off personal protective equipment, wearing a mask, and handwashing
- in behavioural support and nonviolent crisis intervention (we have certified MANDT trainers on staff!)
- in wills, trusts, estate, and future planning
- in psychological health and wellness, and managing fear and anxiety, in the COVID-19 era
- in relationships between social work, stress and burnout
- in mental health communication skills
- in addressing issues such as self-forgiveness, removing psychological blocks to love, resolving major life dilemmas through videos by William P. Ryan (PhD)
- in a variety of caregiver-specific topics through an archive of monthly webinars (going all the way back to 2010!)
- in over 25 topics featured in “side by side” modules to complete with the person you support
Did you know you can access all of Open Future Learning through CCSS? Let us know you’re interested, and we will set you up!
