Vanja Bezdrob offers clients the same compassionate care she’d provide her own grandparents. She says there’s no reason life should stop as we age—and that guiding principle has defined her career.
Since immigrating to Canada in 1998, Vanja has made her home on Vancouver’s North Shore. For nearly 30 years, she’s drawn on her background in nursing to offer caregiving within the public network at Vancouver Coastal Health, and most recently as a case manager at TheKey Vancouver—which offers care to community-acquired clients, private clients and is also a designated agency, providing surge services for the local health authority.
Throughout, she’s remained committed to educating caregivers and client families on the powerful ways that personalized and comprehensive care is better care, especially for seniors. This month, we asked Vanja three questions to understand her philosophy, and how she applies it from day to day.
1. Vanja, you and your caregiving team work as a surge provider for Vancouver Coastal Health, providing respite care for families and supporting clients that require 24-hour care as they await long-term placement. What’s most important in these cases?
I oversee cases that require simple respite to more complex care. We work as a team to make sure everyone has the skills and knowledge required to take care of the client, and make sure any changes in their condition are recognized right away, and reported to families as well as to Vancouver Coastal Health. We also offer families a lot of learning and suggestions to help improve quality of life for everyone involved. We talk with them about prevention. We ensure seniors don’t feel lonely or isolated. It’s our job to create a positive environment for people, even though their trajectory will see them move into long-term care.
2. How do you build care plans for private clients that live at home?
I see lots of depression in seniors. But being a senior or having some kind of difficulty doesn’t mean your life stops. We work to create solutions for obstacles that come into people’s lives with aging. I want them to perform as best as they can within their physical or cognitive limitations. That’s why we take care of seniors across all aspects of our holistic approach: health, nutrition, food intake, sleep, hydration, social ties. I’m really big on educating caregivers on those elements to make sure people are thriving in the community. We cannot care for one part of a person without assessing all aspects of their wellbeing and their care needs. It goes hand-in-hand.
3. Based on your experience, what’s one important piece of advice for families considering in-home care for a senior?
Start early. Sometimes, families wait until someone has withstood a fall or their mobility has changed before looking into care. But we’re all about prevention. We recommended starting with caregiving just to provide some companionship. If someone’s medical background shows they’re likely going to require additional care down the road, we can get the senior open to the idea of having a caregiver come into the home, have a coffee and take them for a walk. Helping a senior overcome resistance to care can begin by offering companionship as the first step.