From all of us, to all of you…we hope you have a safe and happy holiday!
Check out Happy Holidays Minion Bulb from KAREN BENNETT on Vimeo.
Calendar for Connection!
Hey everyone, make sure you check out the Family Support Institute’s Calendar for Connection — there are tons of events happening this month! Here are a few:
- Book Club (Harry Potter series) on Dec. 11!
- Holiday concert and Trivia on Dec. 17!
- Game Chat hosted by Kamloops Speaking Up Self-Advocacy Awareness Society (SUSA) on Dec. 16!
Check out the full calendar of events here.
Celebrate Caregivers! THANK YOU!
We posted this poem, “Ode to a Caregiver,” written by the mother of a person receiving home share services, back in March. We are sharing these inspirational words again at the end of our month focusing on posts and resources for caregivers, and we are inviting everyone to join in with us and say: THANK YOU, CAREGIVERS, FOR ALL YOU DO!
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.
Upcoming online training!
Hey everyone, we have posted about PivotPoint’s fall online training sessions — don’t forget to sign up if you’re interested! December’s topic is Strategies to Promote the Independence of Life Skills.
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
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.
