ON-LINE “HOW-TO” VIDEOS HELP FAMILY CAREGIVERS

CANADIAN VIRTUAL HOSPICE LAUNCHES CAREGIVING VIDEO SERIES
FOR NATIONAL CAREGIVERS DAY – APRIL 5, 2012

In recognition of National Caregiver’s Day, the Canadian Virtual Hospice has launched a series of 16 how-to videos to support family and professional caregivers with accessible instructions and visual demonstrations for common caregiving tasks.  The videos walk viewers through step-by-step demonstrations on topics such as safely giving a bed bath and helping with bed and wheelchair transfers and giving medications.  The videos are available on the Canadian Virtual Hospice website (www.virtualhospice.ca and www.portailpalliatif.ca) and the Virtual Hospice YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/cvhcvcsp) and Vimeo (www.vimeo.com/virtualhospice).   

“Family caregivers are the unsung heroes of our health care system – providing daily care, often around-the-clock, to ill and dying family members, in what can be very stressful circumstances,” said Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, Chair of Canadian Virtual Hospice and Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care.  “This video series will help both family and professional caregivers provide quality care that is safe for the caregiver and the patient,” he noted.

“A national review of resources has shown a lack of accessible video clips demonstrating common caregiving tasks,” said Shelly Cory, Executive Director of Canadian Virtual Hospice which spearheaded the series production.  “Research has shown that access to trusted information is a priority for family providing care.  Virtual Hospice is filling that pressing need with credible, bilingual educational materials available 24/7 on-line for all types of caregivers.”  The videos are also appropriate when providing care to those with chronic, physical or cognitive conditions. Health care workers who provide the intimacies of care to patients and support to family members in tertiary care facilities, long term care facilities, hospices and homes will also benefit from the video series.

The straightforward instructions include how to put the patient at ease, making the task easier for both the person receiving care and the person providing care.  The Caregiving Video Series has been developed to respond to a broad set of caregiving circumstances.  

VIDEO TOPICS:
 

• Mouth care
• Giving a bed bath
• Repositioning someone in bed
• Caring for the face
• Caring for the hair
• Making a bed with someone in it
• Help with moving
• Help with walking
• Help with bed and wheelchair transfers
• Giving medications: By mouth, Subcutaneously, By suppository, Sublingually, Absorbed through the skin, Intranasally, Applying Oxygen

Content for the Caregiving Video Series was developed by Clinical Nurse Specialists in palliative and end-of-life care with the Canadian Virtual Hospice and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, in consultation with community and occupational therapists and physiotherapists as well as clinical skills instructors at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Nursing.  Production of the Caregiving Video Series was made possible with financial investments by The Winnipeg Foundation, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and in kind contributions by the University of Manitoba Faculty of Nursing, CancerCare Manitoba and the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, Rana Respiratory and MediChair Winnipeg.  

The videos are an accessible teaching tool for families as well as educators – in Canada and around the world.  DVD copies of the videos will be made available on request for a nominal fee.