When a person is feeling overwhelmed by their duties as caregiver for someone who is aging, there’s a place in Prince George to get some one-on-one support.
“Here at the Prince George Council of Seniors we collectively work together as a team to fill in all the gaps,” Terry Runions, Better at Home program coordinator at the Prince George Council of Seniors, said. “There are so many gaps, whether it’s food, housing, housekeeping or family support and when it comes to helping a family member in distress we say ‘OK, it’s time to call 1-800-Clark.”
Clark Bo is the Friends & Family Caregiver Support Worker at the Seniors Resource Centre who helps those who are supporting or assisting someone with an illness, disability or frailty due to aging.
The program offers support to those giving care to those still at home and it is funded by the United Way.
“I can empathize how overwhelming the work of a caregiver is – I am a caregiver myself,” Bo said. “Every one of us probably has their own personal experience with our own folks or someone we care about.”
When people are having problems emotionally or physically while caring for their loved one and they come to Bo for some guidance, he quickly reminds them that they need to care for themselves as well as their caregiving recipient.
“Everyone has their story,” Bo said. “So they come to us feeling lost, feeling helpless, so that’s when I do the intake. At that time I try to identify the most demanding things and my focus is the caregiver themselves. I do an assessment so that I can provide the support that they need. So the support I provide is one-on-one and if they require more than that I am able to refer them – and that’s when information and referral comes into play.”
Bo said it’s very gratifying to hear when he has helped ease the burden of the caregiver.
For caregivers who would like some support contact Bo at [email protected] or call 250-564-5888.
