FST staffer pens caregiver column
August 19, 2019
Identifying your role as a caregiver can be empowering, writes FST social worker Erin Relyea in her first online column as a toronto.com contributor.
“Being a caregiver can be one of the most challenging roles,” she notes. “It can be lonely, emotional and overwhelming to balance the needs of another person while still maintaining your own. I am still learning from caregivers and those receiving care, and am often reminded that they are the experts in what they need.”
Erin has worked as a social worker and counsellor with FST’s Seniors and Caregivers Support Services team for the last two years.
She is currently the Project Co-ordinator for the Caring for Caregivers project, funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to deliver free educational workshops to those who are caring for a senior (55+).
The workshops are offered monthly in English at FST locations across the city, as well as through partner organizations and in the following communities: Afghan, Iranian, Somali, Spanish-speaking, Tamil and LGBTQI2S+ communities.
Watch for Erin’s future monthly columns on caregiving at toronto.com.