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Caregiving ToolkitKnowledge Translation/Exchange in Northern
BC
Dawn Hemingway & Joanna PierceUniversity of Northern BCSocial of Social WorkToronto Caregiver SymposiumMarch 15-16, 2012
Context for Our Work….
North Central BC (Northern Health Authority incorporating including 2/3 of the BC land mass) has the fastest growing 65+ population in BC, coupled with challenges of distance, climate, boom/bust economies and limited service funding/access
Increasing number of family caregivers carrying an increasing load
Context for Our Work….
Dialogues, research, conferences and workshops on aging well in the North over past several years
Service providers and caregivers participated in a series of focus groups to provide input into the development of the caregiver toolkit.
Who We’ve Connected With…
Northern Health Authority – frontline staff and leadership
Community-based agencies and organizations
Family CaregiversFaculty and students – health and
social service provision disciplines
What We’ve Done….
Workshops
Discussion/connection with key stakeholders
Web-based messaging
Workshops
Prince George Council of Seniors
– Two workshops with family caregivers – afternoon and evening – 7 caregivers; 2 staff; 1 practicum student
– Notice, including invitations and web-link to caregiver toolkit, reached 22 member organizations of the Council (representing many hundreds of seniors) plus individual members
Workshops
Prince George Council of Seniors
– Announcement on new “Senior Moments” radio show with invitation for future interview about the toolkit. Also full page notice in Council of Seniors Newsletter – including link to toolkit website/resources
– Toolkit and presentation appreciated by caregivers; content relevant…. but they want action; want to know how to get the help they need; spent time talking with them about where assistance might be available
Workshops
AIMHI – Community Living – Supporting Individuals with Developmental Disabilities– Information received by all AIMHI staff and via
their newsletter to staff and families– Attended by 10 staff members (5 front-line; 5
managers) and 1 family member– Introduced to the tools; participants impressed
with range and depth of information provided
Workshops
AIMHI – Community Living – Supporting Individuals with Developmental Disabilities - continued– Will be following up for suggestions to make the
tools more appropriate for supporting caregivers of older adults with developmental disabilities
– International Conference on Developmental Disabilities and Aging – March 26 and 27; will be providing Toolkit brochures in Conference bags (about 150-200 delegates)
Workshops
Northern Health and Community Agencies/Organizations/Students– Hosted by UNBC Community Care Centre –relatively new
Centre in downtown Prince George; practicum students (social work and counselling) do practica (supervised by UNBC faculty) – counselling, group work, social outreach, community engagement
– Organized by MSW students, invitations (including web-link to toolkit/website) went to a substantive list of agencies and organizations as well as emails lists for volunteers, students and United Way agencies and Red Cross
Workshops
Northern Health and Community Agencies/Organizations/Students – continued– Two workshops – 22 attendees including:
Northern Health (Elderly Services, Geriatric Assessment and Treatment Unit, Medical Floor, Health Services for Community Living; social work staff); RCMP Victim’s Services; Alzheimer’s Society; MS Society; Community Care Centre; Social Work students; Council of Seniors
Workshops
Northern Health and Community Agencies/Organizations/Students – continued– Participants were impressed with the extensive resources
available online– Some discussion about the particularities of northern
circumstances and how these might be addressed– Also comments about how some clinicians and agencies
were already trying to assist/support family caregivers and how these tools would help further develop that work
Workshops
Northern Health and Community Agencies/Organizations/Students – continued– Face-to-face presentation increased likelihood of actually
looking at and seriously considering using toolkit– Toolkit put questions about caregiving concretely on the
agenda; may have assumed all aspects were taken into account; but only when actually looking at lens does one realize that there may be aspects missed
– Student reflections following workshop included the observation that the toolkit could be used beyond caregivers of seniors and that Resource Guide documentation invaluable for student learning, papers, presentations, etc.
Connection/Discussion with Other Key Stakeholders
Seniors’ services in Prince George – innovative review underway by health authority
lens and resource guide were both provided as documents to be included in the review in addition to substantive discussion with lead person overseeing review - ongoing
Connection/Discussion with Other Key Stakeholders - continued
– Lens and toolkit provided to members of new Elder Program Council established to provide strategic level direction to services for older adults for Northern Health (across the entire spectrum/continuum of service for seniors)
Connection/Discussion with Other Key Stakeholders - continued
– Made available to faculty members for classroom instruction and assignments (as we did with the Seniors’ Mental Health Policy Lens)
– Puts family caregivers front and centre for students which we expect will assist in putting family caregivers on the agenda in the agencies and organizations in which graduates will ultimately work
Web-based Messaging….
Via invitations to workshops in Prince George On other networks across northern BC – e.g.,
Women North Network; BC Association of Social Workers; university-based networks; United Way of Northern BC list serve; and more….
So although workshops haven’t yet reached beyond Prince George, the information and resources have…
Considering a series of webinars
Contact Information & Questions
Questions about our work to date?
Contact info for northern BC work:
Dawn Hemingway – [email protected]
Joanna Pierce – [email protected]
