By: Janet Dunne

From January through February 2017, 12 participants from our Scarborough Parent Share group took part in an amazing workshop called “Powerful Tools for Caregivers”. For 6 consecutive Thursdays, Dona and Joy from the Local Integrated Networks of Health facilitated this empowering and interactive workshop funded by the Ministry of Health.

As the name conveys, each participant is given the opportunity to learn powerful tools and/or refine tools already acquired to enable more sustainability to support their loved ones, their children or adult children with intellectual disabilities. Many of the participants are supporting aging family members as well. Participants also found new ways to take care of themselves AND alleviate any guilt in doing so.

Parent Share has been running two Thursdays a month for over 15 years, only taking a break during the summer.

Although people come and go, there is a strong “core” group who have built strong ties with one another that go far beyond the walls of the Cedarbrook Community Centre where it is run. Over the last few years a huge focus has been on caregiver wellness.

Comments from participants about the Powerful Tools Workshop include:

“Although the group was close before, it is so much closer now!”

“I feel more resilient and learned new strategies to help me stay so!”

“I hope that the presenters can come back for a refresher course.”

“I loved the sharing part. I felt entitled to do one thing just for me and share it each week with the group! I owe that to myself!”

At the end of the workshops series, each participant received a certificate of achievement and a helpful workbook which many say they refer to on an ongoing basis.

Well done, ladies! And thanks to our wonderful facilitators Dona and Joy!

If you would like to find out more about Parent Share please call Janet Dunne at 416-903-6990 or Bonnie Heath 416-645-6000 x 1311.

Download the full newsletter: Connections March 2018