FAMILY CAREGIVER VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Family Caregiver Wellness Virtual Event On November 17/18, in collaboration with Caregivers Alberta, Norquest College had a virtual event for family caregivers and organizations that support family caregivers to provide awareness for this role, as well as education and resources for family caregivers to turn to. We were so happy with the event (aside from a few tech hiccups) as we had 89 and 52 people attend our November 17th and 18th virtual event and wonderful feedback. Thank you to all who joined us and those who participated in the presentations!
 Below are some highlights:

  • If you’d like to view November 17th events, click here
  • If you’d like to view the Caregivers Alberta workshop, click here
  • If you want to know more about Maple Virtual care, click here
  • If you’d like to see the PDF of our Vendor Showcase presenters, click here
  • If you’d like the PDF of Dr. Jasneet Parmar’s presentation, click here

We hope to continue providing this event on an annual basis.
Our Winter Schedule is up!
If you liked what you saw in the virtual event, had not had a chance to attend and want to see our workshops or would like to continue on with more workshops, our winter schedule is up! 
 The first set are noted below and attached is a poster describing each:

  • Pain Monitoring and Management- Thursday, December 10
  • Mealtime & Medication Assistance- Wednesday, December 16
  • Supporting a Person with Dementia- Thursday, January 7
  • Assisting with Personal and Intimate Care- Saturday, January 9
  • All You Need to Know About Infection Control and Prevention- Tuesday, January 12
  • Effective Communication- Thursday, January 14
  • Assisting with Mobility-Safe Practices- Wednesday, January 20
  • Mealtime & Medication Assistance- Saturday, January 23
  • Navigating the Healthcare System- Tuesday, January 26
  • Palliative and End-of-Life Care- Thursday, January 28

If you’d like to know more and to register, go to norquest.ca/family-caregiver
Guest Blog: Rick Lauber- Caregivers Can Help Themselves Through the Holidays
As we are entering the holiday season, this can bring both excitement and anxiety. Rick Lauber, author of Caregiver’s Guide for Canadians and The Successful Caregiver’s Guide provides some tips for self-care at this festive time.
Caregivers Can Help Themselves Through the Holidays
How can this time of year so often associated with joy, laughter, and celebrating be the source of increased stress, turmoil, depression, and/or worry for many? 
 Negative emotions and/or reactions can hit family caregivers – those who provide help and support for aging loved ones – hard in December. Christmas, Kwanzaa, and/or Hanukkah involves family time, but the relentless COVID-19 pandemic has restricted family members from visiting Mom/Dad in a long-term care facility. Furthermore, seasonal demands increase; shopping, wrapping presents, and baking all take extra time and effort – extra time and effort that a caregiver may not have. COVID-19 has resulted in significant job losses and a caregiver may be off work now, cash-strapped, and unable to purchase the usual pile of gifts. The upcoming holidays may be a painful reminder of Mom/Dad’s condition and how things will never be the same again. 
 Read more here