Empowering Caregivers
 How do I do that?
 How do we empower others and empower ourselves?
 Empowering Others: Giving people or groups the strength
and knowledge needed to help them overcome obstacles
and teaching them to believe in themselves
 Empowering Ourselves: Learning that the only real power
we have is over ourselves and that we can choose what to
believe about ourselves and not to be prisoners of our own
limiting beliefs or of the limiting beliefs of others
Empowering Caregivers
 What do Caregivers need to believe about themselves to
feel more empowered?
 Caregivers....
- deserve love, respect, and appreciation (even if it’s not
expressed to them regularly)
- deserve a life and identity apart from their role as a
caregiver
- deserve help and support
- need to value their own needs!
Tell me Something I don’t know
 It’s not news to caregivers that they need to look after
themselves, is it?
 BUT it’s so easy for other people to tell caregivers that
they need to look after themselves but SO HARD for
caregivers to actually figure out how to do that when care
giving and the rest of life can be so consuming!
Just How Important are Caregivers?
To the person they provide care for – Irreplaceable
To our society:
 1 in 5 Ontarians is a family/informal caregiver, contributing to
more than 70% of total care giving needs. These caregivers are
our invisible health partners. Without informal caregivers,
Ontario’s health care system would not be sustainable
 The economic value of caregivers is astounding: Caregivers
who look after seniors save Canada’s health care system
between $24-31 billion annually (that figure doesn’t include
those who care for children or adults under 65)
Empowerment: Strength and Knowledge
 Many caregivers probably don’t even realize the degree of inner
strength they possess that allows them to manage the multiple
demands on their time and energy (even though caregivers probably
feel tired and drained at times, they are some of the strongest people
in our society)
 Unfortunately, many caregivers don’t truly recognize their own
needs for support and self-care until they experience their own health
crisis and have no choice but to make their own health a priority
 Tonight, I hope to equip you with some more knowledge about
managing your time and energy so that you can maintain that inner
strength and achieve better balance
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know
better, do better.” - Maya Angelou
Balance and Time
 Balance doesn’t just ‘happen’ it is created by choices and
we have to continuously self-correct in response to what
happens in life to maintain balance. Our well-being is
based on our ability to restore balance in the face of
continual disruption
 Time is finite – we can’t create more of it but we can
make choices about how we best use the time we have
through time management
Time Management Strategies
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Disclaimer:
I am not you and I don’t know you’re particular care
giving situation
I am not an expert on your life and how you should
manage it
I am, however, someone who works with a variety of
caregivers and who listens to what works for them (and
I’m a busy working mom who works pretty hard at time
management in my own life)
I’m not telling you what you should do rather I am sharing
some tips that might just be worth a try
10 Tips for Time Management
1. Use a Planner or Calendar
(paper/computer/smartphone) – get a clear picture of your time
commitments and make a schedule
2.
Make a List and Prioritize
- Getting things down on paper gets them out of your head and
can free up some mental energy
- Decide what is urgent, important, can wait
- Start with the most dreaded task on your list (avoiding or
worrying about a tasks can use up a lot of emotional energy)
10 Tips for Time Management
3. Expect the Unexpected
- create emergency plans and be flexible in your
scheduling and planning
4. Organize Yourself and De-Clutter
- Gain time back by spending some time organizing your
life and your surroundings
- Keep important documents where they are easy to
locate
- Get rid of unnecessary ‘stuff’ (it can be freeing)
10 Tips for Time Management
5. Find Short-Cuts that Make you Feel Better
- Do a quick tidy up and leave a big cleaning for a time
when it won’t add too much stress
6. Try Mono-tasking
- It can be less overwhelming to focus on one thing well
at a time (cross it off and move on)
10 Tips for Time Management
7. Delegate and Ask for Help
- No one can be everything for everyone all of the time
(we all need help but we have to ask and asking for
specific help often works best)
8. Try Taking a Tech Break
- Technology can be a great asset but can also make you
feel you have to be available and reachable 24/7
(remember when?)
10 Tips for Time Management
9. Learn How to Say ‘NO’
- Decide what is truly important
- Realize that every time you say ‘YES’ to something
you are saying ‘NO’ to something else (so use your
‘Yeses’ wisely)
- Is what you would be giving up by saying ‘YES’ more
important that what you have said ‘YES’ to?
- It can take some practice for this to become more
comfortable but those two little letters can be your
saving grace
10 Tips for Time Management
10. Learn that Good Enough is Good Enough
- Everything you do for yourself or others
doesn’t have to be perfect
- Believing things need to be perfect can
prevent you from attempting them and
can cause heightened frustration
- Be realistic with your standards (rarely has
dusty furniture killed anyone)
Activity/Homework
 Make a List of all the energy drainers in your life and
make a list of all the energizers in your life – are there
themes? Are there drainers you can eliminate or
minimize? Are there energizers you can make more time
for?
Be Your Own Biggest Advocate
(Learn about the Resources Out There)
Some ideas:
 Caregiver Support Groups
 Community Care Access Centres
 Adult day programs or community
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 Homemaker services to help with
chores, housecleaning, or home repairs
 Companionship services, transportation
centre programs
Specialized geriatric assessment services 
or special care units at local hospitals 
Respite care facilities, rehabilitation
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services
Community outreach health teams
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Specialized disease societies or
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foundations
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Housing assistance
services
Volunteer or church services
Home delivered meal services
Home health aid services, in-home
respite care
Medical equipment supply services
Financial/legal assistance
Telephone hotlines and support services
Thank You
Thank you to Caregivers for what you
do everyday!
You are not invisible!
You are appreciated!
What you do matters!
Handouts to Take Home
1) Affirmations for Caregivers
2) 10 Tips for Time Management