Building friendships at Carefor’s virtual day program

Shortly after its official launch in January of 2020, our Young Onset Dementia program was suspended amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The Club is the first of its kind of program in Ottawa for people living with Young Onset Dementia, which affects individuals aged 65 and under.

While normally our ten participants would be getting together for a weekly day of fun and exercise at Carleton University, they’re still keeping their spirits up online.

One of the highlights of Day Program Team Leader Carolyn Puderer’s week is chatting with her Young Onset Dementia group: “They’re very uplifting to be around. When I leave the conversation, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.”

The participants meet several times a week to stay socially connected and active amid the outbreak, which helps to improve their quality of life and slow the advancement of the disease. 

“Everyone is so positive and upbeat. We still get to exercise and have a good laugh. I look forward to our virtual meetings. There’s never a dull minute,” Club member Angela says.

It’s not only staff and participants that are reaping the benefits of the virtual day program, caregivers are also grateful for the extra support and see this moment as a highlight of their loved one’s day.  

“I enjoy being in the background and listening to the wonderful rapport that has developed between staff and participants,” Carol, a caregiver, says. “It is comforting to know, that despite their disease, everyone is comfortable in the setting and has been able to bond together.”

It is estimated that 16,000 Canadians and approximately 2,000 local residents are living with Young Onset Dementia. It is through these high-quality health care programs that people living with Young Onset Dementia can feel supported in their own community.

To learn more about The Club, click here or email us at info@carefor.ca. Our Adult Day Programs rely heavily on fundraised dollars. Support our Carefor Heroes by giving at carefor.ca/donate.

Camp Erin supports grieving children who lost someone important in their lives

When Megan’s mom told her and her brother about a camp that supports children who’ve lost a loved one, they accepted without hesitation.

After losing her father, Megan was looking to connect with others that understood what she’s been through.

Going to Camp Erin made Megan realize that she’s not alone: “I can talk to them without them saying ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ because they haven’t gone through it.”

Camp Erin is cohosted by Carefor and the Eluna Network. While being one of 43 Camp Erins across North America, it is one of only three in Canada. It is the largest national bereavement program for grieving children and youth between the ages of 6 and 17. The weekend camp offers grief education and emotional support in a fun, safe camp setting.

“In that warm environment they’re sharing stories and memories and supporting each other through what can be a very difficult time,” says Clinical Director, Nancy Galway. Children who have lost a loved one often find themselves isolated as no one knows how to speak to them about their experience. Activities like making layered sand jars and the memory board give children the chance to bring out, and thus understand, their feelings using games or crafts. 

“My dad was a very smart and handsome man and it always felt like paradise when he was around,” Megan recalls. “The memory board was hard for me. It just made me feel really sad because I miss him and I wish he was here today.”

Children attend Camp Erin at no cost thanks to generous donations.

To learn more about Camp Erin, click here or email us at infoeasterncounties@carefor.ca.

Carefor Adult Day Program helps keep parents at home

For caregivers Donna and Ted O’Connor, taking care of someone with dementia wasn’t quite what they had expected.

“It’s like looking after a child … You lose patience. It’s very hard at times.” 

Two years ago, Donna was introduced to Carefor’s Adult Day Program at Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC) for seniors living with dementia. Now her mother, Bunny, attends the program with 11 other participants.

“It was like a new world opening up for her and for us, so I can’t thank Carefor enough for what it’s done. It’s made a huge difference.”

Thanks to RLC, both Bunny and her caregivers have a time to refresh and change up their daily routine. “It’s been great to have a little bit of freedom on Fridays to do some things that we would have great difficulty to do during the week,” Ted says.

For Bunny, the social connections, valuable entertainment, games, and exercise at the day program has her excited to return every week. “It’s not a struggle to get her out of the house to come here [and] that means a lot,” Donna says.

As the need for respite programs grow, it’s important to have quality support services like RLC in our community.

“We’d like to keep her at home for as long as we can [and it’s possible] because we have Carefor,” Donna says.

The day program at RLC relies solely on donations to keep running. We need your support to ensure the RLC Adult Day Program continues to help people like Bunny and her family. If you’d like to make an impact on the lives of people like Bunny and her caregivers, click here to donate.

Carefor and Carleton University launch Ottawa’s first Young Onset Dementia program

Carefor Health & Community Services was proud to officially launch “The Club” on January 21, 2020 at Carleton University. “The Club” is an Adult Day Program for individuals living with Young Onset Dementia that was created in partnership with Carleton University. Every Tuesday, The Club’s 10 participants, all of whom are living with Young Onset Dementia, meet at Carleton Athletics to participate in a variety of activities including swimming, badminton, aerobics and running.

The launch event highlighted this first of its kind program in Eastern Ontario. Steve Perry, Carefor’s CEO, and Jennifer Brenning, Carleton University’s Director of Recreation and Athletics, cut the ribbon to celebrate the collaboration between Carefor and Carleton, but more importantly the participants who are overcoming the challenges involved with living with dementia.

“Carefor is honoured to be the first agency to offer this kind of support for people with Young Onset Dementia,” Perry said. “The early success of the program shows that it’s having a meaningful impact [and] changing people’s lives for the better.”

Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President of Carleton University, said he was proud to host the program on a campus that takes pride in making everyone feel welcome.

“We’re always looking for ways to break down some of the barriers that exist for people who live with significant health challenges.”  

Joel Harden, MPP Ottawa Centre, also shared a few words on the importance of building up our communities and puncturing the stigma associated with dementia. 

He said every journey begins with a single step, and hopes that “maybe we can pick up on that journey together.”

After the ceremony, guests toured the facilities used by the program to understand a typical day for participants.  As part of the tour they visited the pool, field house, gymnasium and stopped by at the program’s private fitness class to see firsthand the impact that staying socially connected and physically active has on the lives of the participants.

As the number of people living with dementia is increasing, the need for support services are growing. Carefor and Carleton University are proud to meet the needs in the community and find ways to better enrich the lives of people who need it the most.  

For more information, click on “The Club.”