ALPA - Supporting Caregivers in Laval

1. Association Lavalloise des Personnes Aidantes

2. MISSION Since 2002, the Association Lavalloise des PersonnesAidantes (ALPA) informs residents of the Laval area on the many challenges faced by caregivers. It does so by improving services that tend to their psychological, social and familial needs.

3. WHO IS A CAREGIVER? A CAREGIVER is: Any person in an entourage, such as a family member or a friend, who provides significant, continuous or occasional support as a non-professional to a person who is incapacitated, either permanently or temporarily, due to a disability, an accident, an illness or advanced age.

4. STATISTICS DID YOU KNOW …* • Over 8 million Canadians provide care for a friend or relative with a chronic health problem or disability • Complications due to aging and cancer are the most common reasons for providing care • One in ten caregivers spends 30 hours or more per week providing care • Most caregivers are between 45 and 64 years old *source: Statistics Canada

5. OUR SERVICES • Support services and assistance for caregivers • Regular and occasional home-based respite care • Service employment paycheque* (chèqueemploi-service) • Psychosocial intervention (individual or group) • Thematic conferences and discussions • Training • Social activities *More info on the MSSS web site

6. Support Services and Assistance for Caregivers Upon registering, our staff will guide & point you towards the appropriate resources pertaining to your current situation, may it be the CISSS de Laval or any other organization. We will also make a follow-up on your situation.

7. Regular Home-BasedRespite Care • Clientele: caregiver of a 65+ year-old person living under the same roof; • On a weekly basis, to receive 8 hours of service in 2 blocks of 4 hours or 8 consecutive hours; • Service offered 24/7; • Costs of $3 per hour or $15 for 8 consecutive hours; • Service plan drawn out by our staff in collaboration with the caregiver; • During the home-based respite care service, caregivers may choose to stay home or leave the house: the option is up to them.

8. Occasional Home-BasedRespite Care • Clientele: caregiver of a 55+ year-old person having an age-related disease; • To receive periods of respite varying from 4 and 48 hours of consecutive service; • For unexpected appointments or specific needs; • Service offered 24/7: request must reach us 2 business days in advance; • Costs of $3 per hour or $45 for 24 consecutive hours; • Service plan drawn out by our staff in collaboration with the caregiver; • During the home-based respite care service, caregivers may choose to stay home or leave the house.

9. Home-Based Stimulation Respite Care(65 yearsold and less) • Clientele: caregiver of a less than 65 year-old person who is not suffering from an age-related disease; • To receive 32 hours of respite in 10 months with a minimum block of 4 consecutive hours per period: available for 50 different families; • For unexpected appointments or specific needs; • Service offered 7 days a week between 7:00 am and midnight; • The request must reach us 2 business days in advance; • Free service, no costs; • Service plan drawn out by our staff in collaboration with the caregiver; • During the home-based respite care service, caregivers may choose to stay home or leave the house.

10. Service Employment Paycheque What is the employment service paycheque? The CISSS de Laval (Integrated Health and Social Services Center), which is responsible for organizing all home care services, grants you a direct allowance according to the hours provided for in your intervention plan. The plan takes into consideration your needs, your preferences as to how services will be provided, and your ability to manage your affairs as well as resources available in your family, in your community. Here are a few examples of daily life services and activities provided: • Bathing, eating, dressing • Certain transfers (from wheel chair to bed, from wheelchair to toilet, etc.) • Housekeeping Services & household tasks (laundry, ironing, errands, etc.).

11. Individual Psychosocial Intervention • Clientele: caregivers of 55 years of age and more, particularly those taking care of a person who is suffering from an age-related disease; • The number of necessary periods is evaluated and determined by the psychotherapist; • Intervention offered on a daily and nightly basis, either at ALPA’s offices or at home; • Free of charge, no costs.

12. Psychosocial Intervention (group) • Clientele: any caregivers taking care of a person 55 years of age and more, particularly those taking care of a person who is suffering from an age-related disease • 2 types of formulas: • Caregivers, diverse clientele • Caregivers, specific clientele (ie, men caregivers, spouses, children) • Closed group of 8 to 10 participants, meetings every other week for up to 5 to 7 meetings according to groups needs; • Creative and self-awareness methods used; • Free service.

13. ThematicConferences & Discussions « GENERAL PUBLIC » CONFERENCES • Clientele : all of Laval’s caregivers and their families; • 4 conferences in French and 2 conferences in English per year; • Conferences made by researchers, doctors and experts in their respective fields; • Admission $3 for members et $5 for non-members. MONTHLY “RENDEZ-VOUS MENSUELS” • Clientele: all of Laval’s caregivers; • Formula : sharings, information, conferences and talks on 10 different themes (tax credits, legal measures, resilience, guilt, etc.); • The first Tuesday evening and the last Thursday afternoon of the month; • Admission $3 for members et $5 for non-members.

14. Training ALPA offers training on a regular basis to better equip caregivers in performing their daily tasks. As an example, the «AIDER SANS SE BLESSER» (help without harming oneself) training or « Déplacementssécuritaires des bénéficiaires (PDSB) » (safely moving beneficiaries) is offered on an annual basis. That training consists in teaching techniques to perform shunting maneuvers, facilitating safe and secure movements for the benefit of your beneficiary. The practice of those techniques is essential to avoid any kind of injuries. Also taught in that training are the principles of movement and grip, the principles of positioning, weight transfers, etc. This is a 9 hour long training spread out over a 3-day period.

15. Social Activities SOCIAL ACTIVITIES • Clientele: all of Laval’s caregivers; • Themed events, informal gathering that allow sharing amongst members (brunch, Holiday Season, sugar shack, Semaine nationale des proches aidants, etc.); • 4 to 5 times per year; • Entry fees vary according to the activity. FREE PLAY ACTIVITIES • Clientele: all of ALPA members; • Informal meetings for board games, sharing and laughter; • 1 per month; • Free.

16. OUR PROJECTS • During the Spring of 2018, ALPA will be inaugurating its new premises which will be located on the first floor’s of its current address: 1850 Le Corbusier Blvd. • That move is done in the spirit of maintaining continuous improved services for Laval caregivers. • ALPA’s new premises will allow from now on to offer in-house respite services through its Centre multiservices pour les aidants de Laval.

17. WHY BECOME A MEMBER? • Share your concerns • Alleviate anxiety or worries • Prevent burnouts • Maintain a healthy balance between giving your time to others and taking time for yourself • Better understand the person being helped and improve your relationship • Help maintain and develop our services • Support and recognize caregivers and their causes • Annual membership fee (15$) valid April 1st to March 31st

18. “Autonomy is not measured by the number of tasksthat you can carry out alone,but by the quality of life that you achieve with help.”

19. Association Lavalloise des Personnes Aidantes:An association for all caregivers in Laval! 1850 Le Corbusier blvd., suite 308 Laval, QC H7S 2K1 Tel.: 450-686-2572 E-Mail: info@aldpa.org Website: www.aldpa.org