In 2012, Baycrest opened a leading-edge centre to help family caregivers cope with the physical and emotional demands of looking after a loved one who is cognitively or physically frail, the Koschitzky Centre.
Baycrest’s services for caregivers — which include counselling, education and support groups, and online support for those taking care of people with early onset dementia — were recognized by Accreditation Canada as a national leading practice – setting the bar for excellence in this field.
The Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Family Caregiving brings these various services together to provide more seamless and tailored support that meets the unique needs of each caregiver and their particular situation.
The centre was opened with the support of philanthropists Mira and Saul Koschitzky.
“My late mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s so my wife Mira and I are well aware of the need for such a centre,” said Saul Koschitzky.
“Caregivers need support to help them keep their loved one living at home longer.”
Although more than 80 percent of Canadians over the age of 65 have at least one chronic health condition, most continue to live independently, often with the support of family members. While many caregivers say they derive satisfaction from the role, an estimated 40 per cent experience some form of mental distress due to its demands.
Caregivers need support to help them keep their loved one living at home longer.
“The Koschitzky Centre [is] a go-to place to match each caregiver with the right service so they experience a greater level of understanding and support, which can reduce their stress and health risks,” said Linda Jackson, executive director of Baycrest’s Residential and Aging at Home program.
Each year, thanks to funding from philanthropists Sharon and her late husband Stanley Clavir, the Centre will add a new support group led by a Baycrest clinician. “I want to help people in my situation,” said Sharon Clavir, whose husband had memory difficulties and attended the Community Day Centre for Seniors at Baycrest.
Programs and services cater to:
Spousal caregivers
Adult child caregiver
Bereaved spouses
Specialized services for Holocaust survivors and their families
Open to the community and health professionals, the unique, tailored services include:
An all-inclusive intake process for caregivers to identify their individual needs
Caregiver counselling
Caregiver education and access to information and resources
Connections to the appropriate Baycrest resources as well as community agencies and services
Support groups offered both in-person and online
Educational seminars and speaker series
Information on programs and services that offer respite for caregivers
Health professionals
There is a range of innovative programs to meet the ongoing needs of caregivers and to provide access to information, education, and individual and family counselling. We will connect you with the appropriate health professionals:
Medical practitioners and specialists
Nurses
Social workers
Psychology
Physiotherapy
Occupational therapists
Speech language pathologists
Therapeutic Recreation
Chiropodist
Want to find out more information, have a comment or a question?
Click here to enquire about services, or call: 416-785-2500, ext. 2223.
Baycrest Health Centre is located at
3560 Bathurst Street
Toronto, Ontario Canada
M6A 2E1