The Caregiver's Lighthouse is hosting its first workshop since before the pandemic from 2-4 p.m. this Thursday at Medicine Hat's Canadian Mental Health Association.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Christmas can be a stressful time of year for anyone, but stress is often multiplied for individuals caring for elderly, ill or disabled family members, says Lorna Scott, founder of the Caregiver’s Lighthouse, a local caregivers support and empowerment organization.
To help family caregivers navigate the Holiday Season, the Caregiver’s Lighthouse is hosting a free workshop Thursday from 2-4 p.m. at the local Canadian Mental Health Association.
“It’s an afternoon workshop to go over some of the challenges that can come up with caregiving, like finances, time management and colder outside (weather),” Scott told the News. “And then, there will be fun components as well.”
Titled ‘Caregiving Through the Holidays: 5 Steps for Family Caregivers to Get Through the Holidays With More Joy and Less Stress,’ the workshop aims to not only help equip family caregivers with information, but also connect them with other caregivers locally.
“It’s a place just to have caregivers come together so that they’re with people who understand what they’re going through,” said Scott. “It’s a place where they belong and they’re heard and where they can be themselves and not have to worry about jumping up to go care for somebody.”
Scott began co-ordinating Caregiving Through the Holidays and similar workshops in 2017, but pandemic-related gathering limitations and funding challenges forced an end to such in late 2019.
However, with new funding from the Community Foundation of Southeast Alberta, Scott is hoping to once again build a local family caregiver support community – something she says is vital for the health and well-being of caregivers, most of whom have no formal training.
“The biggest thing (this group provides caregivers) is relief,” said Scott. “Because they feel like they aren’t alone and like somebody understands.
“We’ve had one gentleman who used to come to the monthly (support) groups when we were running them; he was a caregiver and had fallen into depression. But he knew how to get out of that feeling. And when he did, he made a commitment to himself that he was going to do whatever it took for him to stay healthy. And the monthly group was one (way of doing that).”
Scott says group members also share suggestions of where to access community resources for both those they are caring for and for the caregivers themselves.
Moving forward, Scott hopes to host quarterly workshops for family caregivers, with the possibility of more events to come.
While Thursday’s event is free to the public, registration is required. To register, phone 403-548-8437 or email lorna@thecaregiverslighthouse.com.
