In June of 2014, the Burnaby Seniors Outreach Society lost funding for its caregiver support program. Its funding partner, the United Way, has decided to focus on Better At Home programs for seniors. But who cares for the elderly in their homes? Often this task falls to family members who need help coping with these sometimes overwhelming responsibilities

"The Ministry of Health has this philosophy of home is best. They're trying to keep people home longer and longer. That means more work for family caregivers," says Linda Comba, BSOSS’s program director. "However, the longer seniors stay at home, ... the higher the incidence of developing complex care needs. That means family caregivers will be caring for them longer and also in more complex situations."

(Full story in Burnaby Now here.)

The caregiver support program includes support group meetings every two weeks, a information handbook that includes local resources that caregivers can turn to for help, educational workshops with trained gerontology professionals and an annual information and speakers fair, which draws an estimated 200 to 300 people.

We can offer each component of the program individually as the money becomes available. We welcome all donations. You can also choose from the list at right, which gives you an idea of what each component costs.

Please watch this video to get a sense of why this program is so vital in to caregivers.

Whether you can give $5 or $5,000, all donations can make a difference in the life of a caregiver and their family member. Thank you!