Caregiver Webinar Series: Cultural Perspectives on Caregiving: Part 2

Join Dr. Adriana Shnall, PhD, as she continues the conversation of Cultural Perspectives in Caregiving with featured panelists, University of Toronto graduate students from Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work: Marina Thalassinos, Kerion Joinville and Jamie-Leigh LeTourneau. Part II of this series will explore ways in which we can honour our cultural backgrounds and the relationships we have in care, whilst balancing the modern expectations of work/life demands. This webinar aims to provide valuable insights and practical tools to enhance communication skills, navigate the modern expectations of work/life demands, and strengthen relationships in caregiving settings.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Cultural Perspectives on Caregiving

Join us to explore how Indigenous, African-Caribbean, and European perspectives uniquely shape the landscape of caregiving. Hear from Master of Social Work students from the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work, as they provide insights into the traditions influencing care. Topics of discussion include traditional healing practices, familial dynamics, and community-based support systems, offering a glimpse into the cultural nuances that shape caregiving experiences. This webinar aims to deepen your understanding of the various ways communities provide care, cultivating a more compassionate and inclusive space for dialogue and exploration.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: How can virtual reality be used as a training tool for caregivers

Speaker: Mary Chiu

In this webinar, Mary will facilitate an informed discussion, to explore barriers and facilitators as aging adults engage in digital technology, and particularly, in Virtual Reality interactions. She will also share preliminary learning from a multi-year Research & Development initiative called “Dementia Caregivers Skills-Training through Virtual Reality Simulation (VR-SIM Carers)”. The VR-SIM Carers initiative aims to engage caregivers, aging adults and community partners in the design, development and testing of an innovative skills-building and training platform for dementia caregivers to safely immerse in a VR environment, to practice different skills that are instrumental in the caregiver role e.g. communication, navigating relational issues, managing expressive behaviours, asking right questions to care professionals.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Uncovering legacies through end of life care

Speaker: Mitchell Consky

Mitchell Consky is a journalist with works published in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Walrus, and BNN Bloomberg. He specializes in long-form feature writing and essays about loss, travel, and adventure. When not working, his ideal escape is drifting on a canoe in Ontario’s Algonquin Park. He lives in Toronto.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Rethinking Drinking

Speaker: Marilyn White-Campbell

In light of the Canadian Center on Substance Use’s recent launch of Canadas New guidance on alcohol use we will discuss our relationship to alcohol including
• Low risk drinking guidelines
• No risk drinking guidelines
• Options for the sober curious
• Making informed and healthy choices on alcohol use in later life knowing the facts.
• How to support someone with problematic alcohol use who has dementia

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Dementia Risk Reduction: Evidence & Plans for the Kimmel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness

At least 40% of dementia cases worldwide could be eliminated through modifiable lifestyle changes.” This month’s presenter, Nicole Anderson will review the evidence for dementia risk factors, both nonmodifiable and modifiable. Participants will hear about plans for the Kimmel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness, the world’s first research-driven community centre that will provide and evaluate the efficacy of personalized dementia risk reduction programming.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Must Have Conversations for Late and End Stage Illness

A long term consultant, researcher, clinician and educator Dianna Drascic brings over 30 years of experience working with late and end stage illness and assisting staff, patients and families to live as well as possible before, during, and after death. Dianna will share her knowledge and provide practical information in the area of late and end stage illnesses.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Children and Youth: the Hidden Group of Caregivers

Join us in conversation with Michelle Lewis, Executive Director of the Young Caregivers Association, a not-for-profit agency with a mission to serve caregiving children, youth, young adults and their families in Canada. Participants will hear more about the under-recognized place that children and youth play in supporting their families when there is illness and disability in the home. Michelle will address how to identify them, what to look for and how to best support them. The presentation will be followed by Q & A.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Inclusive Caregiving for 2SLGBTQ+ older adults

Join Yuliya Goloida in conversation with featured panelists: Tom Warner, author and Chair of Senior Pride Network; speaker and transactivist Shoshana Pellman and John Vigna, Social Worker and Educator. Participants will gain a more in-depth awareness and understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ elders and seniors and our unique life experiences, issues, concerns and needs. Learn what you can do to support 2SLGBTQ+ elders and seniors and how to create safer, respectful and more affirming spaces and services.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Navigating Intergenerational Family Dynamics & Aging

Join Caregiver Webinar Series host Dr. Adriana Shnall, Program Director, Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Caregiving in conversation with Valene Campbell: author of diverse children’s books, BIPOC dementia advocate, caregiver, speaker & publisher. Participants will learn how to navigate intergenerational family dynamics and the complexities of aging. Whether you support a parent or grandparent, or want to be prepared to do so in the future, this event is for you. We are here to support the supporters.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: In acknowledgement of Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2022

Our featured panelists: Cindy Brcko (social worker), Sheldon Parker (retired lawyer) and an older adult who has experienced abuse herself, join Caregiver Webinar Series host Dr. Adriana Shnall to share critical actions necessary to care for and protect older adults. This presentation highlights patient & family, clinical and legal perspectives on elder abuse and will be followed by Q & A. The webinar is open for all family, caregivers and professionals interested in healthy aging and elder care.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Providing Comfort During the Grieving Process

This webinar, led by Adriana Shnall, Ph.D., will reveal how to become more comfortable talking openly about grief and loss. It will provide strategies for coping and ideas for thinking about your own legacy.

Dr. Shnall is the Program Director of the Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Caregiving at Baycrest and has Assistant Professor status at the University of Toronto. Susan Kendal will be joining the conversation as a member of the community who will talk about her personal journey through the grieving process several times over the past few years, including her brother with young-onset dementia. Josh Cooper, Baycrest Foundation President & CEO, will give opening and closing remarks.

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Baycrest@Home Ask the Expert

Led by the Baycrest@Home social work team, this one-hour event will cover a variety of topics and will allow members of the public to get their questions answered on all things related to aging and caregiving.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Assisting Caregivers with Mindfulness

Join dementia & caregiving expert Eleanor Silverberg as she sheds light on mindfulness as a beneficial coping practice applied under her 3-A Coping Framework: Acknowledge, Assess, Assist. A demonstration will be presented of the modified mindfulness program she created to accommodate a variety of cognitive levels, based on Eleanor’s book “Mindfulness Exercises for Dementia.”

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Caregiver Webinar Series: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: How to detect & protect older adults from abuse

Social isolation and loneliness have taken on a new meaning for opportunistic perpetrators and vulnerable seniors during COVID-19. In this webinar, participants will learn the signs of elder abuse as well as ways to help someone who might be at risk of being victimized. The webinar will also reinforce the importance of recognizing the valuable contributions that seniors make and empower them to protect themselves with the knowledge and tools that will keep them safe.

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Caregiver Webinar Series: Out of Touch: Caregiving in the time of COVID-19

Social distancing, while necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, creates challenges for caregivers to connect with loved ones amid an unprecedented time of global health and economic crises. Join Dr. Nasreen Khatri to learn how to optimize social connection with loved ones and get the emotional support you need and deserve as a caregiver.

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Helping Older Adults with Depression Cope during COVID-19

Caregiver Webinar Series: Helping Older Adults with Depression Cope during COVID-19

The pandemic has caused an increase in mental health concerns, especially for older adults. For older adults with pre-existing mental illness, the isolation and fear of contracting the virus has deeply affected their ability to cope. In this webinar, caregivers will learn how to identify mental health decline as well as mechanisms and techniques to aid in their caregiving role. This event is free and all are welcome to attend.

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