Enhancing Care Programs
Enhancing Care programs help care partners manage the day-to-day care of the person living with dementia, reduce emotional stress and burden, and improve their ability to cope with the demands of caregiving.
About Enhancing Care
Our Enhancing Care programs are designed to help care partners of those living with dementia to learn more about practical skills and emotional supports while caregiving.
Care partners learn communication skills, problem solving techniques and strategies to maintain a meaningful relationship with the person living with dementia.
Learn more about the CARERS Program with this series of Methods and Impacts videos:
CARERS Program
Coaching, Advocacy, Respite, Education, Relationship, Simulation.
A skills-based group program for care partners of a person living with dementia.
- Focuses on practical skills and emotional supports needed to care for people living with dementia
- Teaches problem solving techniques, a structured approach to address problems
- Coaches care partners in communication skills using simulation
- Provides strategies for keeping a meaningful relationship with the person living with dementia
8 weekly sessions, 2 hours per session, maximum 6 care partners in group.
In the video below, learn more about how CARERS is structured and hear a client testimonial from a recent CARERS member:
Virginia Wesson MD, MSc, FRCPC(C), Staff Psychiatrist at Sinai Health, who played an integral role in the development of the CARERS program, also offered her thoughts on the program:
“The CARERS Program has been demonstrated to effectively support care partners who are providing care to family members living with dementia. The program is designed to provide care partners with specific, tailored dementia education and to teach them new skills and strategies for responding in effective ways to the practical and emotional caregiving challenges they face. The CARERS Program reduces care partner burden and isolation and improves caregiving confidence, autonomy and mastery. In doing so, the program enhances care partners’ capacity to continue in their demanding role. The video highlights the unique therapeutic techniques used in the program which is delivered by skilled and experienced professional clinicians. And, as you learn in the video, it is very well received and appreciated by care partners who participate. I played an integral role in the development of the CARERS Program and I have no hesitation in recommending that care partners take part as I know they will benefit, too.”
— Virginia Wesson MD, MSc, FRCPC(C) Staff Psychiatrist, Sinai Health, Medical Director: Training and External Partnerships, Enhancing Care Program, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.
TEACH Program
Training, Education and Assistance for Caregiving at Home
An interactive group program for care partners of a person living with dementia.
- Focuses on common caregiving themes, including:
- Self-care
- Healthcare System Navigation
- Relationship Changes
- Future Planning
- Coaches care partners in practical communication and coping skills
- Provides opportunity to share and learn from other care partners
4 weekly sessions, 1.5 hours per session, maximum 8 care partners in group.
Contact Us
For more information about upcoming programs, or you are a health-care provider or paid caregiver that wants to learn more, please contact us at intake@alzheimerdurham.com and ask about available dementia training programs.