Relief for Family Caregivers
Over 1.4 million people in British Columbia are unpaid caregivers. They provide 80% of care in the community for family and friends.- 31% of unpaid family caregivers report caregiver distress and symptoms leading to burnout (2017)
- Professional government or private Care Providers support the sustainability of ongoing family care situations and relief for necessary break periods.
- The first client in a respite service is actually the primary caregiver and how we can support them. The goal of respite is to provide reliable trusted support so the primary caregiver can let go for some period of hours or days to run routine tasks and self-care activities.
- Respite breaks could be a 1-hour visit for a quick appointment to caregivers staying for multiple days or weeks in a row providing full-day and night Live-in support.
Family Caregivers
often have a difficult time trusting that someone else will be able to provide the level of care and attention that they provide their loved one. We usually recommend starting with a few shorter visits to build trust and confidence.
We have successfully built trusting, supportive relationships with:- Individuals with moderate and advanced dementia
- Individuals living amidst complex family dynamics
- Individuals with personality disorders and challenging behaviours
- Individuals with paranoid PTSD and cognitive decline in some form
- Children who may have a cognitive disability, impairment or autism-spectrum
- New mothers
Setting up Emergency Respite support before it’s needed
can provide peace of mind for Family Caregivers who feel they are managing but are concerned about a situation where they may be unable to provide essential daily care for a loved one.
- Individuals who are the primary caregiver for their partner and have concerns about the caregiving situation if they were suddenly unable to provide care.
- Family caregivers who are the primary caregivers for their parent with increasing care needs and concerns if they were suddenly unable to provide care.
Pro-tip: Coping is never copacetic! Caregiver burn-out is cumulative. It is caused by coping with too much for too long with no clear end in sight. Prevention is important because once someone reaches burnout it is more difficult to get back to baseline and easier to reach burnout again which can lead to serious health issues for the primary caregiver.