Caregiver Project Information

In the spring of 1999, the Saskatoon Council on Aging Inc. received funding from Population Health Fund, Health Canada to begin a project to establish a working model of a one-stop information centre for informal caregivers. The need for this centre came out of an earlier project done by the Council - the Isolation of Older Adults Project (1994) and through INPUT '97 (a gathering of informal caregivers) held by the Steering Committee of the Informal Caregiver Project to further determine their needs.

Project Goals:

First Goal - To respond to caregivers' needs for:

• Information
• Emotional Support
• Co-ordination of Services

How will this be done?

• Develop a community caregiver network
• Develop a community caregiver help centre model

Second Goal - To increase society's awareness of the needs and contributions of the caregiver in our community.

How will this be done?

• Increase public awareness of financial implications of caregiving
• Increase employer's awareness of caregiving needs and potential responses
• Involve a variety of sectors in the community in actions to address caregivers' needs

The Saskatoon Informal Caregiver Information Centre is located at the Saskatoon Council on Aging Inc. and opened its doors on November 1, 2000.