Gentle Persuasive Approach and Recreational Respite

May 16, 2012    Written By: Amy MacFarlane |  No Comments

Click here to listen: Gentle Persuasive Approaches Program for Professional Caregivers–Family Caregiver Perspectives

May 8, 2012

Dr. Lori Schindel Martin is Associate Professor, Associate Director, School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, and Chair, Gentle Persuasive Approaches Advisory Committee. Amy MacFarlane is Founder and CEO of Recreational Respite Inc., which provides for creative living and innovative care. They talk about their programs and the needs these meet. They explain gentleness in caring, and what has been learned from its application in the training of healthcare professionals and family caregivers. They discuss modern attitudes to mental illnesses in light of past approaches to mental illnesses that led to treatment that was unsympathetic or even cruel. They explain how their programs are changing attitudes towards family caregivers caring for family members with mental illnesses and towards mental illnesses. They say what they would like to see done to promote gentleness in caring for persons with mental health conditions, and they give their messages for family caregivers.

Recreational Respite on Rogers TV

May 8, 2012    Written By: Amy MacFarlane |  No Comments

Recreational Respite is being profiled on Rogers TV- Aging in Peel series.  The show will air on Wednesday May 9 at 6pm and Saturday May 12 at 5pm, stay tuned to Rogers local channel to watch Founder and CEO, Amy MacFarlane talk about what Recreational Respite is doing in the community!

Health Council of Canada releases Home Care report

April 21, 2012    Written By: Amy MacFarlane |  No Comments

Seniors in need, caregivers in distress: What are the home care priorities for seniors in Canada?
Have a read: Health Council of Canada-Caregivers and Home Care

Recent episode on Family Caregivers Unite! speaks to John G. Abbott who is the Health Council of Canada’s Chief Executive Officer. He describes the Council’s work. He highlights the Council’s report, ‘Seniors in need, caregivers in distress’. He discusses the roles of caregivers, family caregivers, informal caregivers, and personal service workers. He compares the current state of family caregiving in Canada with that elsewhere. He instances the benefits that family caregivers bring to seniors and to the healthcare system faced with an aging population. He analyzes the challenges that family caregivers face in caring for their aging family members, especially those who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and the like. He identifies the needs of family caregivers caring for seniors and explores how well healthcare and social systems are helping family caregivers with these needs. He gives examples of success stories, summarize the report’s recommendations for its messages for the healthcare system, for governments and for family caregivers.

Listen here:

Power of Music, Alive Inside- Recreation Therapy

April 12, 2012    Written By: Amy MacFarlane |  No Comments

We had to share the following clip, as a perfect example of when Recreation Therapy plays a key role in it’s ability and skill in identifying what connects an individual (in this case,who has been affected by Alzheimer’s disease).  Notice how the Recreation Therapist and the patients Doctor, expresses her patients’ before and after engagement levels, see it for yourself:

Family Caregivers UNITE! with Recreational Respite

March 2, 2012    Written By: Amy MacFarlane |  No Comments

For immediate news release:

VoiceAmerica’s influential Family Caregivers Unite! talk show links with community engagement specialist, Recreational Respite.
Oakville, ON., January 12, 2012—Because of the growing importance of family caregiving in North America, Family Caregivers Unite! is teaming with community engagement specialist, Amy MacFarlane of Recreational Respite, to strengthen links with the family caregiver communities. Family Caregivers Unite! host, Dr Gordon Atherley, says that family caregivers are giving more and more to healthcare systems, but they are not yet receiving all the support they need and merit. “Which is why they need ways to communicate among themselves, to share experiences, and to get the information they need to help their family members”, he says. Amy MacFarlane, Director of Family Caregivers Unite!’s community engagement, says that connecting Family Caregivers Unite! more closely with family caregiver communities, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally is the next major step forward in family caregiving. “Then they’ll be helped to engage with each other and to make their voices heard with a new level of empowerment and advocacy for their roles, as caregivers”, she adds.

Click here for the full release: News Release: FCGU! and Recreational Respite