How can building a circle of care around yourself help you continue to deliver the best care? Even the most devoted and capable caregiver needs support in their role. From weekends away to help around the house, letting another caregiver take some of the demands off your plate keeps you well enough, in body and mind, to continue your important work.

Greer Rosequist has plenty of experience being a caregiver, from her former career as a nurse in long-term and palliative communities to offering respite to her sisters, who provide daily care for their mother. This experience led her to a different kind of network—a circle of care—full of friends who serve as consistent supports to those in the group and beyond. What began as a gathering of four has become a coffee collective of a dozen. They step in to assist in whatever capacity they can, from visiting house-bound friends to pitching in on yardwork to staying overnight so a primary caregiver can take some time for themselves.

Though Greer has a background in healthcare, she encourages everyone to help out in whatever capacity they can. Anyone can call up a friend with a simple offer of a cup of coffee. You don’t need nursing skills, Greer says. “You just have to be there.”

Discover the impact of reaching out, as both a caregiver and a friend:

• How to balance care for others and care for yourself;
• Recognize and respect the boundaries inherent in being a secondary caregiver;
• Why it is helpful to appoint a spokesperson within your circle of care;
• The societal importance of enabling people to live in their homes as long as possible.

Resources:

• Episode 2: Speak Out With Courageous Conversations in Caregiving - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast/episode2-communication/
• Episode 4: How to Make Time to Care for Yourself with Self Care and Boundaries - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast/episode4-selfcare/
• Asking and Receiving Help with Caregiving - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/caregiver-learning-center/read-resources/when-asking-for-help-is-hard
• The Embrace of a Caring Circle - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/archives/20996
• Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line - 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)

Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:
#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408
Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267
Fax: (250) 361-2660
Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/

How do you navigate the transition from child to caregiver of a parent while supporting both their dignity and your own wellness? Caring for an aging or ill parent comes with countless responsibilities, from prepping meals and scheduling medication to attending appointments and much more. While this shift to caregiver is, in some ways, a natural progression, it also requires you to navigate into a new relationship with your parent. As such, you need to learn how to balance respect and consent for their desires with your own health and happiness.

Roma Palmer is a registered clinical counsellor who not only helps parental caregivers but also fills this role herself, first with her mother years ago and now with her father. Today, she shares what she’s discovered through her work and firsthand experience juggling family, career, and caregiving.

Learn from Roma’s thoughtful and proactive approach that keeps respect and love in focus throughout this shifting relationship:

• The importance of involving your parent and family members in the caregiving decision process
• Tools for fending off isolation and scheduling breaks to take care of yourself
  How to ensure the division of caregiving labour is distributed openly and fairly
  Practices that prioritize the care recipient’s continued sense of identity at this tumultuous time

Resources:

• “Building Your Personal Resilience” flipbook - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/caregiver-learning-center/read-resources/building-your-personal-resilience
• Guilt and Making Decisions: Role of Adult Children in Assisting Parents - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/caregiver-learning-center/read-resources/guilt-and-making-decisions-role-of-adult-children-in-assisting-parents-2
• Connect with Roma Palmer - https://www.romapalmer.com/
• Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line - 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)

Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:
#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408
Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267
Fax: (250) 361-2660
Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/

How do you maintain an intimate relationship when you become a caregiver for your spouse or partner? Sharing life as a couple means facing and overcoming countless challenges. For so many, the ultimate challenge begins when an illness is uncovered, and one of you must become a caregiver to the other. Rene faced this transition when her husband of 20 years was diagnosed with Parkinsons in his mid-40s. In the two decades since his diagnosis, the couple has navigated a dramatic shift in household and relationship responsibilities and must constantly work at alternative ways to maintain intimacy and joy in an often difficult day-to-day.

In this episode, Rene Smyth details the ups and downs of how their relationship has changed, and Dr. Linda Franchi, a community counsellor with the Parkinson Wellness Projects, delves into the many facets of intimacy and the adjustments and adaptations spousal caregivers must embrace.

Find harmony between the caregiver and romantic partner relationships:

• The numerous kinds of intimacy beyond the physical;
• New ways to lean into each other, even in the face of painful and unprecedented change;
• Practical ways to incorporate self-care into your caregiving duties;
• The importance of reimagining the bond that holds your relationship together.

Resources:

• Find exercise classes, counselling, support groups, and education with Parkinson Wellness Projects - https://parkinsonwellness.ca/
• Learn more about Parkinson Society BC - https://www.youtube.com/@ParkinsonSocietyBC
• Alzheimer Society of Canada, “How your intimate relationships can change” - https://alzheimer.ca/en/help-support/im-living-dementia/managing-changes-your-abilities/how-your-intimate-relationships-can
• “The Value of Peer Support” - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/emotions-of-caregiving/the-value-of-peer-support/
• “Parallel Paths: The Changes Experienced in the Caregiving Relationship” - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/caregiver-learning-center/read-resources/parallel-paths-the-changes-experienced-in-the-caregiving-relationship

Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line - 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)

Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:
#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408
Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267
Fax: (250) 361-2660
Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/

How do you begin the difficult dialogue around end-of-life wishes for your care recipient? When you are the caregiver for someone whose health is declining, the reality of death can be overshadowing and feel frightening to acknowledge. So often, it’s as though we fear that simply speaking about death will speed it to our door. Karla Kerr, a funeral director and death doula in Victoria, BC, sees things differently. She approaches conversations with families who are facing or have just experienced death in an exploratory and compassionate way that recognizes death is inevitable.

Respecting and upholding the wishes of care recipients can only be accomplished through practical, values-centred communication. Death has a tendency to reveal to us what is most important; engaging in these conversations can have a tremendous impact on the depth and intensity of our relationships, especially when we prioritize them when we still have plenty of time, rather than waiting until the end.

Discover how Karla’s experiences with hundreds of families at this pivotal moment can inform your own conversations with your care recipient:

• The importance of acknowledging the inevitability of death and having reverence for the death process
• Why it is so beneficial to talk about what is most meaningful before the final moments
• The hard questions that will ensure you can take action with deference to their values and beliefs
• The positive impact of gratitude at every stage of our relationships

Resources:

• Learn more about Karla Kerr, End of Life Planning and Care - https://karlakerr.ca/
• A Caregiver’s Guide: A Handbook About End-of-Life Care - https://www.virtualhospice.ca/Assets/CHPCA%20caregivers_guide_2015_en_20170314094930.pdf
• After Death Checklist from Government of BC - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/After-Death-Checklist-Government-of-BC-1.pdf
• Proactively Planning for End-of-Life Blog - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/archives/19255
• Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association - https://www.chpca.ca/
• Canadian Virtual Hospice - https://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home/Support/Support.aspx
• Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line - 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)

Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:
#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408
Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267
Fax: (250) 361-2660
Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/

What difficulties develop when a child becomes a caregiver to their own parent? Studies show that young caregivers make up at least 12% of Canadian youth. One of these young people is Kristie Mar. At just 16 years old, Kristie set aside a significant part of her adolescence to become the sole carer for her mother, who was navigating schizophrenia and anorexia. The medical professionals, counsellors, and groups from whom she sought assistance, however, never gave her the title of “caregiver.” As such, it took her years to think of herself in this way or discover the resources that search term could unlock.

Today, Kristie is a medical student and an active participant in this community. She wants to help increase awareness and resources for fellow adolescents who are thrust, so often unprepared and unsupported, into the role of caregiver for their family members.

Hear the difficulties a young caregiver faced, caring on her own, including:

• The impact of expanding the narrow definition of “caregiver” to better identify young caregivers
• Where to uncover resources that help reduce the deep sense of isolation
  The many facets of childhood that are lost to young caregivers
• Strategies for maintaining mental health while balancing childhood and a very adult responsibility

Resources:

• Powerhouse program for young caregivers - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/young-caregivers-2
• Managing expectations - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Managing-Expectations-April-2020-1.pdf
• Episode 11 How to Use Writing for Healing and Self Care - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast/episode-11-how-to-use-writing-for-healing-and-self-care
• Episode 14 Creativity as a Form of Self Care - https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast/episode-14-creativity-as-a-form-of-self-care
• Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line - 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)
• Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:
#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408
Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267
Fax: (250) 361-2660
Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

X / Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/

How would you retain your sense of self if you required full-time care?

When Brooke Ellison was 11 years old, a car accident left her a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Her mother Jean stepped into the role of full-time caregiver, and their familial and caregiving relationship balance has continued for over thirty years.

Dr. Brooke Ellison graduated from Harvard, wrote two memoirs, and is a frequent public speaker on resilience, leadership, and hope. In this episode, she reflects on her experiences as a care recipient—both then and now. Specifically, Brooke shares how she navigates disability and how her definition of this term has changed and grown over the years.

Brooke shares what care feels like from the other side of the table:

• Why building a routine is so important when unpredictability is unavoidable
• How Brooke’s concept of disability as vulnerability has changed over the years
• The challenge of finding alone time when care needs are so pervasive
• Considering and communicating about the future despite its uncertainty

Resources:

• Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line: 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)
• Learn more about Brooke - https://www.brookeellison.com/
• Look Both Ways by Brooke Ellison - https://bookshop.org/p/books/look-both-ways-brooke-ellison/18034792?ean=9781951568184
• Miracles Happen by Brooke Ellison - https://www.amazon.ca/Miracles-Happen-Mother-Daughter-Journey/dp/0786867701

Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:
#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408
Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267
Fax: (250) 361-2660
Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/

How do you honour both yourself and your family member when giving full-time care? In this episode, Jean Ellison speaks about her experience as a full-time caregiver to her daughter, Brooke, whose story of life as a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic is well-known and inspirational.

For more than 30 years, Jean Ellison has balanced the roles of full-time caregiver and mother. While it was always clear to Jean that Brooke would live at home and not in a care facility, accepting her new reality and career trajectory was not a simple process. Jean strives to find happiness and laughter in every day, treating each one as a clean slate for both herself and her daughter.

Get a glimpse into Jean’s challenging and heartening experience:

• What it was like to be trained and tested to care for her own daughter
• Who she has become despite an unforeseeable change in her life’s direction
• Where she finds the middle ground between home care and motherly compassion
• How hope and acceptance can combine to create a fulfilling life despite the obstacles.

Resources:

• https://www.brookeellison.com/
• Family Caregivers of BC Caregiver Support Line: 1-877-520-3267 (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm PT)

Connect With Us!

To read a full transcript of each episode, visit the Family Caregivers of BC website https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/podcast

Visit us at our office:

#6 – 3318 Oak Street,
Victoria, BC
V8X 1R1

Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (250) 384-0408

Toll-Free Line Within BC: 1-877-520-3267

Fax: (250) 361-2660

Email: info@familycaregiversbc.ca

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCaregiversBC/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/familycaregiversofbc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/18122187

Twitter https://twitter.com/caringbc

Thank you!

BC Ministry of Health - Patients as Partners Initiative - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients

Organized Sound Productions - https://www.organizedsound.ca/