Hey everyone, there’s a local lights display starting up for the holidays today in Kelowna! Candy Cane Lane has a wonderful neighborhood display from December 1-January 1, and it’s a fun and festive (and socially-distanced!) activity for all this winter. Check out the article on Castanet or watch here:
SPOTLIGHT: Caregiver communities
Hey everyone, we’re focusing our posts on CAREGIVERS and resources for caregivers this month. We know that one of the challenges faced by many caregivers is…finding sustainable ways to integrate connecting with other caregivers into a busy schedule.
While we’ve posted about the importance of self-care to caregivers, we wanted today’s discussion to be more focused on how connecting with others who have caregiving experience can help fight feelings of isolation and loneliness. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing how we all connect safely with one another, feeling isolated and lonely is more common than in the past. So, since we’ve posted about many ways for caregivers to connect, what’s are we bringing to the table today to try out?
Podcasts! If you haven’t listened to a podcast before, they are like individual radio shows and are usually released in episodes. Podcasts typically target a topic per episode. These podcasts in particular are designed to be relevant to the caregiving experience by those who put them out into the podcast-universe:
- Caregivers Out Loud: A Podcast by Family Caregivers of BC A space to connect, listen and learn with other caregivers.
- The Giving Tree Podcast by Amanda Rocheleau (BSW, MSW, RSW) This podcast is for helping professionals and personal caregivers. … talking openly and honestly about the true hardships of providing care to others while we also talk about sustainable solutions to self-care and personal wellness.
Besides the more obvious benefits of podcasts (running for a set amount of time per episode; covering a breadth of information about a given topic; facilitating discussion with and between people who have relevant experience) they can be a great tool to help caregivers feel that their struggles, challenges, and successes are genuinely seen, acknowledged, and respected. And – we hope! – support caregivers to feel a little less lonely and a little less isolated!
Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite podcast.
Cool story! History comes to life.
Hey everyone, we are taking a minute today to share a neat story about a two friends with an interest in the history of the Kootenays. Their original Facebook page inspired a book! Check out the story on Castanet or watch below.
CLBC Update for Individuals and Families
Hey everyone, check out CLBC’s current Update for Individuals and Families.
FSI Weekly News
Hey everyone, the Family Support Institute’s Weekly News is now available, check it out here.
Celebrate Caregivers! Taking good care…
Hey everyone, we’re focusing our posts on CAREGIVERS and resources for caregivers this month. We know that one of the challenges faced by many caregivers is…making time and space to take good care of yourself, as a caregiver.
We’ve talked before about the dangers of compassion fatigue, caregiver stress, and burnout , and we posted about the Family Caregivers of BC resources available earlier this week.
It can be hard to know where to start with self-care, so we wanted to highlight the Family Caregivers of BC webinars as one way to start building your toolkit. There’s many webinars to choose from, but why not start with this one? It’s called “Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others” and covers compassion fatigue and how the body and mind deals with chronic stress, as well as what you as a caregiver can do to sustain and nourish yourself.
There’s additional resources available too:
PowerPoint slide deck for presentation
Exploring Your Relationship to Self and Others with Self-Compassion
CLBC Update for Individuals and Families
Hi everyone
Please see this link for the latest update from CLBC for Individuals and Families.
Hope that you have a great week!
SPOTLIGHT: Family Caregivers of BC Resources!
Hey everyone, we’re focusing our posts on CAREGIVERS and resources for caregivers this month. We know that one of the challenges faced by many caregivers is…connecting with others for support as caregivers.
So…here is a great resource!
Family Caregivers of BC has ongoing support available for caregivers. According to their website, they provide “direct support to caregivers through one-on-one emotional support, caregiver support groups, health care system navigation, and free educational resources.”
- Access information, self-assessment resources, and help here
- Access their virtual caregiver support group here
- Connect through their newsletter by signing up here
- Find COVID-19 caregiver resources listed here
You can also call the BC Caregiver Support Line (toll-free: 1-877-520-3267) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am – 7:00 pm.
Fall Back! It’s that time again…
Hey everyone, just a reminder to turn the clock back an hour over the weekend! Enjoy the extra hour!
Celebrate Caregivers! A Day in the Life…
Hey everyone, it’s the first week of CAREGIVERS month here on our blog. Though we post here a lot about caregiving and for caregivers, we thought it would be a great time to take a step back and to remind ourselves of what caregiving looks like.
Here’s A Day in the Life of a Caregiver…caregivers, this might not be exactly how your own day looks, but its our way of saying: we see you, we value you, and we appreciate all you do!
THANK YOU to all our caregivers for showing up for those they care for, day-in and day-out.
