Caregivers Kitchen Table Discussion with ADM Dana MackieA small group of stakeholders, including Jacquie Eales, Jasneet Parmar, and the Executive Director and Program Lead from Caregivers Alberta, had an informal, in-person discussion about caregiving with Assistant Deputy Minister Dana Mackie and the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services (SCSS) team. The discussion focused on solutions to sustain family caregivers' contributions in Alberta, leveraging the mandate of SCSS where possible. Overall, to develop effective policies, it is essential to:
• Recognize changing work and family patterns, age structures, and other socio-demographic characteristics of caregivers and their collective needs and resources, particularly at the interface of work and care, and barriers to older workers' labour force participation
• Integrate family/friend care as part of the formal care system – caregiving is a shared responsibility
• Support the material, relational, and subjective well-being of family caregivers to reduce the cumulative impact of caregiving across the life course and address inequities arising because of living arrangements, generational cohort, immigration status, and gender.
Participants were:
• ADM Dana Mackie, Seniors Division, Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services (SCSS)
• Jas Chana, A/Executive Director, Seniors Strategic Planning Branch
• Angella Gautier, SCSS
• Kym Schreiner, SCSS
• Darrel Gregory, Executive Director, Caregivers Alberta
• Johnna Lowther, Manager, Programs and Services, Caregivers Alberta
• Jasneet Parmar, Alberta Health Services Home Living
• Sharon Anderson, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta
• Bev Suntjens, Vice Dean, Faculty of Health Studies, NorQuest College
Ayshea Thornton, Manager, Health Projects, NorQuest College
• Jacquie Eales, RAPP Research Manager, University of Alberta
AWCRP-2020-16 University of Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Caregivers Alberta, Government of Alberta | Networking and Partnerships | 2023-08-28 | |