Caregivers from Caledon and Dufferin celebrated in Mono

June 29, 2023 · 0 Comments

By Zachary Roman

Chances are, you or someone you know is an unpaid caregiver.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 8.1 million Canadians are unpaid caregivers who provide mental, physical, or emotional support to a family member, friend, or neighbour. While so many Canadians are caregivers, they are not often recognized for the work they do.

On June 25, the Hills of Headwaters Collaborative Ontario Health Team (HOHCOHT) hosted an appreciation day for unpaid caregivers at the Monora Park Pavilion in Mono.

The event featured workshops for caregivers, speakers, complimentary lunch and refreshments, music, local vendors, and booths set up by various community organizations.

The appreciation event was part of the HOHCOHT’s Caregivers in the Hills program, which aims to provide support to, and validate the role of, unpaid caregivers in Dufferin and Caledon.

Tracy Coffin, Executive Director of the HOHCOHT, explained that in 2020, the HOHCOHT collected recommendations from caregivers in the community to start its caregiver support program. One of the first things it did was create an identification badge program, where any caregiver can apply for a badge that will formally identify them as a caregiver.

“When you’re a caregiver, you go to a lot of medical appointments, a lot of social care appointments, and you have to tell your story over and over again,” said Coffin. “What the ID badge does… it lets the doctor, nurse or whoever is working with the individual, know the person is a caregiver and will be able to help and become part of the care team.”

Another part of the Caregivers in the Hills program is a collaboration with local businesses.

When a caregiver shows their badge at a business that’s partnered with the HOHCOHT, they can receive discounts. To see the list of businesses, or to apply for your own caregiver badge, those interested can visit caregiversinthehills.ca.

Coffin said caregiving is an often thankless job. She said it was so important to host an appreciation event as a way to say “way to go” and give the thanks to caregivers that they deserve.

“Caregivers are a critical part of our health care system and they’re a critical part of the health care team,” said Coffin. “The work we do with Caregivers in the Hills is a way to identify them, appreciate them, and make sure they are able to support their loved ones as best they can.”

Having community partners with booths set up at the event was a way for the HOHCOHT to let caregivers know about all the different services there are in the community that could possibly help them.

“I’ve worked in different parts of Ontario, I’ve worked in England, and I have to say this community is the most collaborative community I’ve ever come across,” said Coffin.

Heidi Vanderhorst, program lead for Caregivers in the Hills, helped create and develop the program when caregivers requested it. She said before the program existed, the HOHCOHT felt like caregivers weren’t getting the recognition they deserved.

“We heard over and over… caregivers were being questioned why they had to be with their loved one,” said Vanderhorst.

Now, there are over 140 caregivers registered with Caregivers in the Hills and Vanderhorst is hoping more will join as well to gain access to recognition and resources.

Vanderhorst said she was ecstatic with the way Caregiver Appreciation Day turned out. She was happy to see the amount of community partners that joined in, and pleased to see Ontario Minister of Health and Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones make an appearance.

Most importantly, of course, was the amount of caregivers that attended.

“Caregiving is a very difficult role, there’s potential for a lot of burnout. I think there is a lack of acknowledgement for who they are and what they do,” said Vanderhorst. “We really just wanted to provide a few hours for them to be the spotlight and have some downtime if possible… we just really wanted to make it a day about them that they could enjoy.”

Stephanie Coulson, Project Manager for the HOHCOHT and a caregiver for her mother, said it was a nice experience to have her work intersect with her unpaid work as a caregiver. Coulson said that knowing what she does at her job might help out another caregiver is a great motivation.

Coulson said it was touching to see caregivers honoured because it takes a lot of time and energy to be a caregiver. She said it can be challenging at times and extremely rewarding at others.

“To have people come together and say ‘thank you for what you’re doing’ is really nice,” said Coulson.