For Immediate Release
March 27, 2007
Halifax, N.S. - Caregivers Nova Scotia and its allied organizations applaud the government of Nova Scotia for its intent to establish a Department of Seniors, expand respite programs, implement a provincial adult day program, and launch a pilot program to help caregivers look after ailing seniors in their own homes.
Caregivers Nova Scotia and its allied organizations would like to emphasize, however, that the 1 in 3 adult Nova Scotians who are unpaid caregivers care for friends and family of all ages, not just seniors.
"Families of people with neuromuscular disorders are faced with many challenges,” said Ken Thompson, Executive Director, Atlantic Region, Muscular Dystrophy Canada. “Depending on the age of onset, they may face the prospect of providing attendant care to their loved ones for 30 years or more. Combine this with the need for highly customized medical and mobility equipment, and you will find many families in Nova Scotia and across the Atlantic Region, facing serious financial and emotional hardship."
“Many challenges also impact those Nova Scotians who provide support and care for a family member or friend affected by schizophrenia, termed youth’s greatest disabler,” said Stephen Ayer, Executive Director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. “Resources are required to provide these oftentimes forgotten caregivers with: (1) up-to-date information on schizophrenia and psychosis; (2) family education and peer support; (3) adequate and timely respite services; and (4) alternative housing options for their affected loved one. A mechanism is also needed to have the role of these caregivers recognized by the mental health system.”
“According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, over one million working Canadians take care of a person diagnosed with mental illness,” adds Ayer. “Because Nova Scotia accounts for 2.9% of Canada’s population, one could conclude that at least 29,000 working Nova Scotians – equivalent to the entire population of Yarmouth County – provide care to a person diagnosed with a mental illness.”
“Caregivers play an important role in enabling their loved ones to remain in their homes and communities,” said Sarah Cowan of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. “Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord which most often strikes between the ages of 15 and 40. Its effects last a lifetime, as does a caregiver’s duty. The MS Society recommends increasing the provision of services such as respite and attendant care to support those who care for family members with MS,” Cowan adds.
These allied organizations call upon the government of Nova Scotia to recognize the challenges faced by all family and friend caregivers in Nova Scotia and provide increased resources to help them.
Contacts:
Sharon E. Reashore, LL.B., EPC
Executive Director
Caregivers Nova Scotia Association
Ph: (902) 421-7390
Email: director@caregiversns.org
Ken Thompson
Executive Director, Atlantic Region
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Ph: (902) 429-6322 ext 226
Email: ken.thompson@muscle.ca
Stephen W. Ayer, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia
Ph: (902) 465-2601
Email: ssns@ns.sympatico.ca
Sarah Cowan
Manager, Communications and Government Relations
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Atlantic Division
Ph: (902) 468-8230
Email: Sarah.Cowan@mssociety.ca
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