FOR NATIONAL CAREGIVER DAY: ALL THE GOOD THINGS

Today, February 18, is National Caregiver Day in Canada and it seems like a great time to tell you about all the great opportunities for caregivers that are new and exciting. So grab a coffee and click the links in the list for more information!

1. A totally FREE online course for caregivers from McMaster University Department of Continuing Education titled CAREGIVING ESSENTIALS that includes learning modules about 

• Adopting the caregiver role, including legal and financial information
• How to navigate the health care system 
• How to take care of yourself so you can care for someone else
• Health and medical information management
• Resources
• COVID-19 Conversations Corner

Participants who achieve at least 80% on the quizzes receive a certificate of completion in the form of a micro-credential (a qualification that you can add to your LinkedIn or Facebook profile! 

And more exciting news: “McMaster Continuing Education is pleased to announce Les Soins Essentiels, a free online, non-credit course designed to support and guide French-speaking caregivers.

 

The course content and activities are available to be completed at your own pace, when it's convenient for you. This course will guide you through five modules, and direct you to a wide variety of resources. The skills and knowledge learned are meant to benefit caregivers in any way they choose.

 

Beginning March 7, you can register and access the course by clicking here. The course will run from March 7 to June 24, 2022.”

 

2. Full disclosure about the Caregiving Essentials Course: I facilitate it and so I had to list the terrific monthly series of FREE WEBINARS that complement the course (but are open to the public). Bookmark THIS SITE to register for each upcoming webinar. If you click to register today, you'll be signing up to join me and Sue Robins on March 2 at noon - we'll be talking about Sue's new book Ducks In a Row and all about how experiencing health care as a patient or caregiver shouldn't be so difficult that it makes us cry. If you can't make the live webinars, you can always check them out along with a selection of terrific past webinars I've hosted HERE. I guarantee, this is fun and interesting listening (well, I had fun and thought the conversations were super-interesting, so naturally I think you'll agree! 😁)

3. A fantastic new announcement is the creation of a new Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. A program of the Azrieli Foundation, The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence supports and empowers caregivers and care providers, advances the knowledge and capacity of the caregiving field, advocates for effective and visionary social policy, with a disability-informed approach. Stay tuned here and on The Caregivers' Living Room Facebook Page for more information about this centre as it evolves. This work will really make a positive difference for caregivers in Canada moving forward! 

4.  Another FREE course for caregivers at McMaster Continuing Education is Infection Prevention and Control for Caregivers and Families. In this course, you will learn:

• Important terms and concepts such as infection and germs
• Hand hygiene and handwashing best practices
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including masking
• Environmental cleaning
• Navigating infection realities during the pandemic

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a co-branded McMaster Continuing Education and Desire2Learn Open Courses Certificate of Completion to recognize your achievement.

5. The Waiting Room Revolution is my new favourite podcast. Drs. Hsien Seow with Sammy Winemaker are the dream team of palliative care experts who guide patients and families to have the conversation THEY want with their clinicians and extended families. But there is so much to learn here for ALL caregivers. 

I hope all caregivers in Canada have a fantastic day today. Together, let's celebrate our role and our contributions!