Caregivers Out Loud

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...

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...

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...

How can you build a healthier relationship with death and dying that will benefit both caregiver and recipient? Aaron Yukich is an end-of-life doula, mindfulness practitioner, and hospice care worker. In his work with...

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...

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...

At some point in our lives, we'll all be faced with a tough decision we didn't see coming. In most caregiving situations, people enter the caregiving role with love and passion. Then pretty soon, they begin to see some...

Many caregivers are supporting care recipients from a long distance. This form of caregiving brings with it a unique set of challenges as we try to provide support from afar. In this episode, Bill guides a panel of long...

The experience of living and caring for someone with dementia is not always a universal experience and there can be different situations and patterns. However, there are some similar challenges caregivers face when...

How can we break down barriers and humanize the caregiving process? Through the power of pure emotion, unlocked through music. No matter what your musical background is, music used intentionally can be beneficial to...

Engaging with creativity is a form of self-care that can benefit both a caregiver and a care recipient in many ways. In 2015, psychologist and art therapist Dr. Cathy Malchiodi cited multiple studies confirming that...

For many people as they age, living as long as they can in their own home is ideal. We love our comforts, our routine, and our independence. But there comes a time when the decision to have more support or to move into...

Once the decision has been made that placement in a care community is necessary, caregivers are often faced with the "what next" question. Because there are different levels of care and each community has a different...

Research shows that family caregivers who list self-care as a priority can better provide care, are at lower risk of burnout and becoming ill, and find more joy in their role as a caregiver. Starting with small acts of...

28% of Canadians or 1.8 million people, provided care to a family member or friend with a long-term health condition, disability or ageing need in the past year. Three-quarters of this group (6.1 million) were employed...