Caregiving Toolkit
Knowledge Translation/Exchange in
Northern BC
Dawn Hemingway
& Joanna Pierce
University of Northern BC
Social of Social Work
Toronto Caregiver Symposium
March 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 Caregivers
 Faculty 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 – hemingwa@unbc.ca
Joanna Pierce – piercej@unbc.ca