In life, caregivers shine as remarkable, devoted, and selfless people. However, their dedication to looking after others often means they have little time to care for themselves. This imbalance can lead to feelings of isolation and additional difficulties in their caregiving journey.

Acknowledging these struggles caregivers face, the Prince Edward Island Association for Community Living (PEI ACL) partnered with Your Life Design Inc. to deliver Care4Caregivers, a program designed to provide a support system for full-time continuing care providers through group-based self-care and resiliency training. “We wanted to be able to try to carve out some time for them (caregivers) to realize that we see them…,” said Executive Director of the PEI Association for Community Living, Julie Smith.

Led by qualified mental health professionals, Care4Caregivers offered comprehensive two-hour training sessions covering topics like stress management, coping with grief and loss, building resilience, and practicing self-care while fulfilling caregiving responsibilities.

Over the year, six sessions were held, including four virtual ones in English, a virtual one in French, and an in-person session on Lennox Island First Nation. Over one hundred caregivers across PEI participated, making meaningful connections and finding comfort in a community that understood their experiences. “It is important for people to realize that…Oh yeah, I’m not alone. Everybody is there,” said Smith.

For Jill Stewart, the founder of Your Life Design Inc., an objective of the program was to raise awareness of the assistance and support available to those who need it. It sought to normalize seeking help and emphasized that reaching out for support is not only acceptable but essential for caregivers.

An evaluation survey allowed participants to offer feedback on the sessions. Overall, Care4Caregivers received a rating of 90% (A+) and an overwhelming number of respondents spoke about the value they found in connecting with others during the sessions. “It wasn’t just a lecture… it turned into a real time of connection,” said Stewart. “We always say that connection is protection. It felt like we were like-minded people connecting and using concrete research.”

Inspired by the program’s success, the organizers hope to sustain and expand Care4Caregivers into the future. Stewart sees partnerships being a big focus, allowing other non-profit organizations to access local, quality, and evidence-based programming for professional and informal caregivers. “I would love to be able to do this again and offer more opportunities and connections not only within the PEI ACL but also outside of it, to other communities,” she said. For Smith, the opportunity for sharing extends beyond PEI and into national expansion. “It would be amazing if every ACL (Association for Community Living) could take this research after it’s been processed and looked at and possibly run this in other places across the country,” she said.