As dementia progresses, day-to-day activities become more difficult for the individual living with this disease, and caregivers gradually assume more and more aspects of that person’s care.
To better assist families and caregivers in providing support at home to participants of the CBAO Seniors Day Program, staff have been working on strategies to help equip and enhance their knowledge and understanding of dementia care.
“We recently launched a monthly support group at our centre so that families and caregivers can share, in a supportive environment, their issues and concerns as well as the difficulties and challenges that they may encounter when providing care,” says Ted Zhang, general manager of the program.
Not only are caregivers required to have adequate knowledge and understanding about aging and dementia, they must also equip themselves with sufficient skills — communication and emotional skills, being understanding and patient— and resources such as physical and emotional availability, time and financial resources.
Caregivers can often feel isolated as a result of their role and can experience a range of emotions, from guilt, grief and sadness to frustration. “Through these sessions, our program team hopes that families and caregivers can share their experience with others in a similar situation, and offer support to one another,” adds Zhang.