Sources of Caregiver Support and Respite

It is important to be prepared to speak with health care professionals, so they can provide help by offering recommendations, strategies to try, referrals to other specialists, or other forms of assistance. You are encouraged to speak with a health care professional if the person in your care is showing any of the following signs while eating:

• obvious and occasional coughing during meals and/or after sips of fluid
• rapid weight loss or weight gain (in six months or less)
• complaining of pain during chewing or swallowing

The following are some helpful tips on how to communicate with health care professionals.

• Offer detail
• Ask questions

• The more detail you can provide about a change in a person’s nutrition, the more a health care professional can offer different strategies to help.
• Share details like: when did this start, how long have they had difficulty, how much difficulty do they have, what you have tried so far, etc.
• Share the results of the person’s completed Self-Mini Nutritional Assessment (Activity 4.1).
• Writing down and keeping track of weekly weights and meals eaten would be a great tool to help you communicate changes and new issues.
• If you notice issues with chewing or swallowing, explain when and what foods/liquids create problems at home.
• Beyond explaining who you are and the relationship you have with the person, offer details about your caregiving role, the support you provide, and how you and the person you care for would like you to be involved in care.

Additional Supports

• Ask for help
• Ask a qualified health care professional who can lead you in the right direction.  They will be able to tell you and the person you care for about the services in your community and if they think a referral is needed.
• Look online

You can search for nutritional programs, meal delivery services and social dining clubs by going online and browsing The Healthline – health services for Ontario website. 

• access the Healthline website at www.thehealthline.ca/
• select your region, then enter the search term “meals”
• browse for information on nutrition, healthy eating, recipes, videos and interactive healthy eating tools at http://www.unlockfood.ca.
• further inspiration on menu planning can be found at My Menu Planner from UnlockFood.ca
• Plan Meals using Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide is also a wonderful document that is loaded with tips and tricks for meal planning according to Canada’s Food Guide, created by Dietitians of Canada

• Read

• more in-depth information on nutrition can be found through Canada’s Food Guide
• A guide to healthy eating for older adults (Dr. H. Keller, Dietitians of Canada, 2012) includes information such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating enough nutrients needed by older adults, staying hydrated, nutrition on a budget, and healthy recipes

• Find a Specialist

• dietitians can help support you through individual counseling or nutrition programs and workshops.
• to speak to a free local dietitian, browse www.dietitians.ca/find  

• Check the community

• ask Public Health Units and/or Community Health Centre(s) in your area
• ask your local grocery store(s) to see if they offer appointments with dietitians
• nutritious meals can be delivered to your door: see Meals on Wheels of Ontario from the Ontario Community Support Association or try Heart to Home Meals

Activity 4.2

Pause and Reflect

Are there any strategies from the nutrition section of this module that are most useful to you in your caregiving journey? Write as many down as you found helpful from this first section of the module in your Reflection Journal.