Renfrew – The needs of caregivers can often be overlooked in the tumult of providing care for a loved one and Hospice Renfrew is launching a new workshop series to help caregivers learn how to take care of themselves as well as offering a monthly support group for caregivers.

“This is like a form of preventative health care,” Julie Keon, grief and bereavement counsellor at Hospice Renfrew and the individual giving the caregivers workshop series. “This is for caregivers, however that looks. It could be a caregiver for a spouse with dementia or a caregiver for someone in a long-term care home.”

The caregiver could be taking care of a loved one with a terminal illness or a long-term diagnosis, she said.

“Caregiving is under appreciated and at hospice we wanted to provide an opportunity to not only have a special day but to find ways to help them cope,” she said.

The workshops will not only have a presenter each time but also something fun and “pampering” at each session.

The workshop series is entitled “Nurturing the Caregiver” and will be run over four months, beginning this week. The workshops are held each Saturday and while they are open to anyone, space is limited so pre-registration is a must. The workshop for this Saturday is already full, but other workshops do have space.  The number is being limited to seven or eight at each workshop because of space considerations and allowing proper distancing as the world is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic impacts.

“I really want to drive the point home we know caregivers are caring for the vulnerable so I want people to do what is comfortable for them and this will be a safe space,” she said.

All the workshops run on Saturdays.  The first is on March 26 and features Marilyn Saffrey with Art Therapy for Caregiver Stress.  There will also be hand massages offered.  The second workshop is April 23 and features Yoga and Relaxation Breathing for Caregivers with Ro Nwosu. As well there will be soothing massage by Melissa Corriveau.

The third session is May 28 and features Mindfulness and Nutrition with Jane Wood. There will also be mini-Reiki treatments with Dora Boukouris. The final workshop is on June 25 and features Breathwork with Catie Clapp, a Breathwork and Somatic Trainer.  There will also be mini-reflexology treatments with Tracey Liebig.

Ms. Keon is very aware of the added stress on caregivers because of the pandemic and worrying about the health of their loved ones, so she said masking will be kept in place and physical distancing enforced. She wants it to be a safe place for caregivers to go, knowing they can learn a new skill and not feel they are at greater risk for catching something because of no masking or distancing requirements.

“We want caregivers to feel safe in our space,” she said. “This gives caregivers a chance to come out to see they are not alone.”

The impetus behind these workshops is very personal for her as well.

“I’m a caregiver and I know how important it is to care for yourself,” she said.  “The caregivers get overlooked sometimes.”

Her daughter, Meredith, suffered complications at birth resulting in a significant brain injury. She has been her caregiver and wrote a book to help parents dealing with a child with extra needs and medical fragility entitled “What I would tell you.”

“I’ve been a hard-core caregiver for many years now,” she said. “I know paying attention to our needs helps us to be a better caregiver. Self-care is taking a step back to allow you to learn to take care of yourself.”

Caregiving is very isolating and the pandemic has made it more so, she noted. Having the educational and nurturing components to the workshops has been deliberately planned to assist caregivers in various ways.  As well, Ms. Keon will be at the sessions interreacting with the caregivers.

“People can just come and relax for a couple of hours,” she said.

Another new initiative to help caregivers is a monthly support group for caregivers which will run the second Tuesday of each month at Hospice Renfrew. It will be in the afternoon from 1 p.m. to 2:30 and is open to anyone in the county who is a caregiver. Ms. Keon said while pre-registration is not necessary for this group, it is helpful to know how many people will be attending so registration would be appreciated. The first of the monthly support groups for caregivers will be held on Tuesday, April 12 and will continue the second Tuesday of each month. If someone is unable to pre-register and wants to attend, they are welcome, she added.

Bereavement Counsellor

In her work as the grief and bereavement counsellor at Hospice Renfrew, Ms. Keon supports clients at the hospice and their families and runs grief workshops and grief support groups, but her role stretches beyond that.

“I also do one-on-one counselling with people who are bereaved,” she said. “And I check in with people who received a referral to hospice.”

While this is a service for people who have been involved in some way at Hospice Renfrew, it is also a service for anyone in the greater community who is bereaved and would like some grief counselling.

“It is open to anyone in Renfrew County, whether or not your family member is here (at Hospice Renfrew) or was here,” she said. “And it is free of charge.”

Families with a loved one at Hospice Renfrew receive support prior to the death and get to know Ms. Keon during their time there. However, there are many people in the community who have not come through Hospice Renfrew’s door and reach out for grief counselling.

“The majority of people who call didn’t receive good support before the death happened,” she noted.

Many referrals come from physicians or funeral directors, but people can also call Hospice Renfrew directly to seek grief counselling or to be part of a grief support group.  There are some parameters, including the death must be six months ago or less.

“My role is to educate them on what normal grieving is,” she explained.

There are five or six sessions available.

Ms. Keon said it is important for people to grieve in their own way and not feel they must follow a set path. Offering the counselling and a listening ear is one way she helps in the grieving process.

To sign up for the caregiver workshops, or to access the grief and bereavement counselling, Ms. Keon can be reached at Hospice Renfrew at 613-433-3993, extension 2237.  Registration is required for the caregiver workshops but is not required for the monthly support group meetings for caregivers.