Victoria, Calgary, Ottawa — and Paris, France. The Smith siblings spread out from the family home in Vancouver over time. Pursuing careers and studies across Canada and around the world, they’re rarely in the same place at the same time. But their father’s recent dementia diagnosis means they’re always in touch.
“I moved from Vancouver to Victoria about 10 years ago. My dad changed a lot in that time, though. With none of us left in the city, we decided to move him closer to me,” explains Kent. At 45, he’s the youngest of the Smiths — and the one who oversees his dad’s daily care. “If there’s anything we’ve learned from managing his dementia, it’s that we need to share what we’re seeing in person, hearing on the phone or observing overall.”
The Smiths set up a group chat to share details. Kent liaises primarily with his father’s caregivers, and then passes info on to his siblings. This is how they keep in touch, stay up to date and make decisions about care.
It’s not always easy. Time zones and competing priorities can be difficult to manage. But it’s absolutely essential.
“Talking openly and honestly about what’s happening is so, so important,” says Cathy Gerth. A Client Success Manager at TheKey Vancouver, she’s worked with families just like the Smiths for years. “Often, a client is in Vancouver, Richmond or Surrey. But their kids are in another part of Canada all together. We help connect everyone involved in caregiving so the senior has the best possible support for their specific needs.”
For families like the Smiths, that kind of communication is vital. Ranging in age from 45 to 55, they’re among a growing number of adult children caring for seniors in Canadian cities nationwide. By 2040, older adults are projected to make up close to one-fourth of Canada’s population. Here in British Columbia, the senior population is expected to steadily increase and represent almost one-quarter of all residents by 2041. That growth in the senior population would reflect a 63% uptick over two decades. As more families find themselves patching together communications channels to support seniors through the aging process, new tools can help.
Timothy Thomas, Head of Canada division at TheKey, says the organization is always adapting communications channels to help caregivers and families communicate easily and efficiently. “We founded our senior care organization more than 20 years ago to provide holistic, personalized elder and in-home senior care for people wanting to age in place,” Thomas says. “Communication has always been a huge priority for us. We understand that people need a consistent and comprehensive understanding of how their loved one is doing in order to support the aging journey feel reassured.”
With that in mind, Thomas says TheKey maintains direct lines between regular caregivers and families. Client Success Managers provide regular updates and serve as liaisons, collaborating with caregivers and family members to identify opportunities, notice shifts and adapt plans. All of this is geared to support TheKey’s Balanced Care MethodTM.
“When we talk about client wellbeing, that includes the adult children or other relatives who are involved in the aging journey,” Thomas says. “Here, we work together to share information back and forth so that everyone feels confident in the care. With 24/7 oversight, families can always reach us.”
Looking forward, TheKey will incorporate new platforms to further streamline communications for families. “We have clients whose adult children live out of town or even overseas. Families like the Smiths criss-cross the country, travel for work, look after their own kids. We are always adapting our communications to make it as easy as possible for them to know how their loved one is doing, in real time.,” Thomas says.
For example, if a caregiver notices a senior isn’t eating much, they’ll try to get to the heart of why. That could include chatting with relatives to see who’s noticed what, and finding resolutions together. Communications like this go both ways. Let’s say a relative notices a loved one has been mentioning the holidays. They might reach out to see if a caregiver could help put up some decorations. All of that becomes possible when lines of communication remain open and fluid.
That comes in handy for families like the Smiths, spread out over vast geographies but committed to providing their dad with the best possible care.
“We need to be open and honest in our conversations,” Kent says. “We also need to be able to know how our dad is just about any time of the day. Those lines of communication have a direct impact on his wellbeing, and our ability to support him from afar.”