Caring for the family caregiver

New centre focuses on this vital community resource

A major gift from Saul and Mira Koschitzky is making it possible for Baycrest to open a leading-edge centre to help family caregivers cope with the physical and emotional stresses of caring for a loved one with cognitive or physical frailties.

More than 80 per cent of the care older seniors receive is provided by family and friends. Of those caregivers, up to 40 per cent experience some form of mental distress, which can affect their health and impact their ability to give care.

The new Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Family Caregiving, expected to open in early 2012, will bring together a range of innovative Baycrest programs– developed and evaluated by Baycrest clinicians and researchers–to meet the needs of family caregivers throughout the caregiving journey. It will provide better access to appropriate information, education, and individual and family counselling.

"The Koschitzky Centre will be a 'go-to' place to match each caregiver with the right service so they experience a greater level of understanding and support, which can reduce their stress and health risks," says Linda Jackson, executive director of Baycrest's Residential and Aging at Home Program.

Baycrest's services for caregivers were recently recognized by Accreditation Canada as a national leading practice, meaning they have set the bar for excellence in this field. The services include: caregiver education and support groups for spouses and adult children; on-line support for caregivers of people with frontotemporal dementia; and counselling. New services to be added include a hotline and a resource database.

"My late mother-in-law had Alzheimer's so my wife, Mira, and I are well aware of the need for such a centre," says Saul Koschitzky. "Caregivers need support to help keep patients living at home longer."

Sharon and Stanley Clavir are also supporting the centre with a generous gift that will fund an additional support group each year. "I want to help people in my situation," says Sharon Clavir, whose husband has memory problems and attends the Community Day Centre for Seniors at Baycrest.