Coming Soon: Caregiving and Dementia Guide

During our social action placement at St. Thomas University, we, three social work students, worked alongside Person Centred Universe.

The purpose of our social action placement was to create a communication plan to effectively share information with caregivers, research, and develop high-priority information subjects for people living with dementia and their caregivers. This was to be achieved through creating a resource that was accessible to all through a resource that is both physical and electronic.

Throughout the duration of our social action placement, we examined issues surrounding system navigation and how it poses a significant burden on caregivers’ ability to provide proper care to individuals living with dementia. From pre-diagnosis to late-stage dementia, the individual and their family will require access to resources and support to help them throughout their journey. Yet, information seeking and service access can be confusing and frustrating since the health care system is often described as being ill-equipped for caregiving. Information remains difficult to find and systems are significantly disjointed. System navigation can thus be complex and challenging.

Further, caregivers are invisible pillars of our health care system. The role of caregiving helps reduce government expenditure by 26 billion dollars annually in Canada. Without their support, the health care system would be overwhelmed. Yet, caregivers’ challenges go unacknowledged by policymakers and government officials.

As a result of these considerations, our team created a guide in the hopes of helping New Brunswick caregivers navigate the complexities of systems in the province. Our caregiving and dementia guide will soon be completed and out for caregivers to utilize. Although many services are specific to the province of New Brunswick, many of the tips and resources are nonetheless applicable to any caregiver, regardless of location. The guide is a free, downloadable resource that is divided into sections for easy navigation.

Be on the lookout for our guide, which will soon be released!

Val, Makayla, and Chris