Personal Supports and Healthcare Resources for Carepartners (2020)

Isobel Mackenzie, the Seniors Advocate of BC, has over 20 years’ experience working with seniors in home care, licensed care, community services and volunteer services. In this session, she highlights the significant challenges faced by unpaid caregivers in British Columbia looking after individuals with Parkinson's disease, stressing that these caregivers often lack adequate support. A report reveals that many caregivers experience distress, with only a small fraction receiving recommended daily support hours. Factors contributing to caregiver distress include being a spouse, patient's cognitive impairments, depression, and behavioral symptoms.

Early acknowledgment as a caregiver and accessing community supports can alleviate the burden. The talk emphasizes the need for more accessible support programs, improved home support hours, better linkage between healthcare resources and caregivers, and increased awareness of existing support resources. Additionally, it underscores the unparalleled care provided by loved ones at home compared to long-term care facilities, attributing decisions for facility placement to financial constraints and limited public resources.

View the video slides accompanying this presentation by clicking here.

**Disclaimer: These sessions are designed to provide general education and are not intended for individual advice and/or clinical care. The information conveyed in this recording was accurate at the time of presentation.**