Most communities have agencies and services that can help you.  Services for the elderly and their care partners vary across each province.

You can find out what services are available in or closest to your community from a number of sources:

• Your local Alzheimer Society
• Your family doctor, health clinic or social worker
• The public health department in your area
• Community organizations
• Your friends, family, and neighbours, especially if they have been care partners

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Circle of Support

Support from others can reduce stress and increase chances for success. Your circle of support can include people inside and outside the family.  And community organizations and agencies may also be included.

Complete the circle of support “cloud” exercise below to help you identify, and possibly expand, the sources of support (formal and informal) that are available to you.

Here’s a sample of what a completed “cloud” looks like.

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For reflection.....

After you complete the exercise, print a copy of your “cloud” and take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions.  Feel free to make some notes.

• What are your strongest and most reliable sources of support?
• What are the informal and/or formal sources of support that you might lean on for more help in the future?
• Now that you’ve created your own “cloud”, what will you continue to do in order to benefit from the sources of support that are available to you? What will you stop or do differently?

To learn more about what supports are available in or close to your community, scroll to the Search bar at the top of the page and type a specific question or topic.