Category Archives: Caregivers

Suicide Prevention Workshop

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Straight Talk is a half-day workshop focusing on preventing suicide in youth. It is designed for parents, family and friends, and anyone who works with youth ranging in age from 12 to 24 years old.

Date: September 13, 2016
Location: Kahanoff Centre, 2nd Floor – 105 12 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Fee: Free
Contact: Candice Hickman, registrar@suicideinfo.ca or phone: 403-245-3900

Click here for more information about the workshop and to register online.

Seeking Your Input on the Nursing Home Legislation

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Open house
Alberta Health is seeking your input on Nursing Home Legislation. Discussion topics will focus on care providers, eligibility, social and leisure activities and meal requirements. Click on the above image for more details.

Dementia Care Conference

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If you will be in the Lethbridge area on May 27th, here is an event you may be interested in attending.

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Beulah Salt Seniors Conference – Dementia Care
May 27, 2016, 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
University of Lethbridge,
Student Union Ballroom A & B
Registration is $10.00 
(Deadline to register is May 13, 2016.)

The sessions include:

Searching for Closeness – Why Feelings Matter Most in Dementia Care
Presenter: Dr. David Sheard, CEO / Founder Dementia Care Matters

Interventions to Change Practice in Long Term Care Facilities
Presenter: Dr. Sienna Caspar, Assistant Professor, Therapeutic Recreation Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, U of L

Moral Distress
Presenter: Dr. Shannon Spenceley, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, U of L

Understanding the Role of the Male Caregiver
Presenter: Mr. Ryan Waldorf, MHSc (Nursing), RN; Instructor, Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, U of L

Learning How to be a Butterfly – The Butterfly Household Model of Care
Presenter: Dr. David Sheard

Click here for the Conference Registration Form.

A glimpse into the life of an ICU nurse

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What would it be like to be an ICU nurse? Below is the introduction to a blog post that provides some insight into this question.

We received a MET call (Medical Emergency Team) from the general ward to immediately come and assist. The patient’s name was Mr. ‘Stevens’. He was 81 and was in our hospital due to severe exacerbations of COPD. He was in acute respiration distress and had a low blood pressure. There was no time to discuss whether he should come to the intensive care unit or not. Mr Stevens had never discussed this before with his doctor, nor with his sons and in this moment of distress, it was now an option for him. The only thing that was clear was that he wanted to be relieved of his shortness of breath, his pain and his anxiety. There was no chance to talk about the consequences of the decision to enter intensive care. The urgency of the situation forced him to just accept it.

However, in his eyes you could see that he had much to say… there were words that he couldn’t get out, things he wasn’t able to say when he arrived. We all knew this when we saw him coming in to our unit. We could see the emotion, bubbling under the surface, all the feelings he wanted to express, but couldn’t any longer, simply restrained by his utter weakness in the final hours of his life.

Click here to continue reading.