For caregivers of people living with dementia, the ongoing needs of caregiving often come before caring for oneself. The challenges of social isolation have now been compounded by the pandemic and can definitely stretch our reserves. Taking a break to look after yourself is essential and a necessary part to caregiving.
Both our Zoom Virtual Friendly Visiting and our Tele-Care Friendly Visiting program is a time for you to take a welcome break from your caregiving responsibilities with our remote support. While your person living with dementia is enjoying time with a trained volunteer, you can take a few minutes for yourself to restore and recharge. For some, this may mean sitting down to enjoy a cup of tea, undisturbed, or for others, taking a stretch break, planning their day, returning calls or making needed appointments. It’s your time, you choose!
Zoom Virtual Friendly Visiting is where persons living with dementia will have the opportunity to be matched with trained volunteers for regular weekly virtual visits. Visits can be tailored to each individual’s interests and hobbies and could take the form of either simple chatting or planned sessions involving trivia, games, show and tell, music, singing, photo slide shows, or videos.
The Tele-Care Program is a phone based Friendly Visiting program supported by trained volunteers who make regular phone calls to individuals living with dementia or care partners on a pre-determined schedule. For the individuals living with dementia it is an opportunity to decrease social isolation, have some meaningful conversations and increase self-esteem and independence while the care partner has some much needed personal time. Tele-Care for the care partner is an opportunity to talk with our trained volunteers for support, socialization and an opportunity to be connected with information, resources and education being offered at the local Alzheimer Society and/or in the community.
Please talk to your Family Support Counsellor or contact First Link for more information and to get signed up for either of these programs. You will be matched with a trained volunteer and you may set up a schedule with the volunteer for convenient visit times for both of you.
