Navigating the Journey of Being a Caregiver: Important Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way (Virtual)
Offered by the Health and Well-Being Program in collaboration with the McGill University Dementia Education Program
This session will be recorded and available on the Health and Well-being Program website.
With one in four Canadians currently providing care for family members or friends with a long-term condition, a physical or mental disability, or problems related to aging, caregivers play an essential role in our society. They are the ones who, on a daily basis, make sure that their loved one—their spouse, parent, child, sibling, or friend—has what they need to stay safe, healthy and loved.
But taking on the responsibility of caregiver to a family member or friend often means balancing the competing demands of life, such as working, raising children and maintaining healthy relationships. It may involve performing tasks that can be emotionally and physically demanding. Unfortunately, very few caregivers know how to navigate the system and locate the necessary resources to sustain them. As well, many caregivers maintain a strong façade and ignore their own limitations, which can have a profound impact their health and well-being.
In this presentation, Claire Webster, former caregiver and founder of the McGill University Dementia Education Program, will talk about the challenges that she encountered and share lessons learned based on her personal journey as caregiver to her late mother who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. Claire will talk about how this experience inspired her to become a strong advocate for dementia care and led to her partnering with a multidisciplinary team at McGill to develop innovative free educational resources designed to support people living with dementia and their care partners. The session will include an interactive question and answer period.
The learning objectives for this session are to:
- Help individuals prepare for the role of caregiver.
- Share best practices to ensure their own well-being.
- Discuss how to create a safe home environment.
- Provide reliable information and links to community support resources.
- Create a safe emotional space to be vulnerable and share concerns.
To register:
1. Click here to access Minerva.
2. In the Employee Menu, click on Training Menu, select Health and Wellbeing Program Services, and follow the instructions to register.
For more information please contact healthandwellbeing.hr [at] mcgill.ca. Registration closes on May 1 at 9 am. The link to the session will be sent the morning of the presentation after registration closes.
