Caregiver's Compass

There are over 4 million caregivers in Ontario, yet the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO), a government funded organization aimed to support this wide variety of caregivers, is still relatively new. In today’s episode, OCO CEO, Amy Coupal joins Stephanie on the podcast to talk about who she is behind her vocation, her caregiving experiences and how she and her team work to shape an organization that caregivers truly need. 

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About Amy : 

Amy Coupal is the CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO), a charitable organization that exists to support Ontario’s 4 million caregivers who provide physical and/or emotional support to family members, partners, friends and neighbours. A visionary leader with over 20 years experience in the not-for-profit sector, Amy is passionate about mobilizing change through knowledge exchange and building collaborative initiatives that positively impact the lives of individuals and communities. The impact of this work is demonstrated through the breadth of direct to caregiver programs and services available through OCO, as well as the early successes of embedding caregiving in the culture of healthcare and the amplification of the voices of caregivers to influence decision making at a system level.

Amy has a Master of Education from the University of Calgary and is an Adler-trained coach. Her insights have been shared through speaking and media engagements, both internationally and here in Canada. Amy has a deep understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with caregiving. As acaregiver for most of her life, Amy helped to support her brother who had Cerebral Palsy. She was also a caregiver to her mother throughout her cancer journey and now supports her father through older adulthood.

Find Amy and the OCO at: http://www.ontariocaregiver.ca

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Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support: www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

Nicole Dauz imagined an idyllic future for her family of 4 after giving birth to her baby daughter. She soon realized that her vision of what would be looked very different in reality. In today’s episode, Nicole takes us through her journey caregiving for her kids, learning about navigating the system and care for a child with autism and a rare genetic disease and learning the true meaning of self-care to survive. Nicole has used her learnings and experience and has become a self-care coach for other parents and leads the way when it comes to changing the narrative of caregiving.

About Nicole:

Nicole Dauz is a self-care coach, speaker, author and advocate who chooses happiness despite her circumstances. Experience is her teacher as the mother of a 17-yr-old neurotypical son and a 15-yr-old autistic daughter with a rare genetic disease.

Her mission in life is to change the story around caregiving and celebrate the journey. She honours the role of the caregiver by helping them recognize their worth and their true gifts. As a self-care coach, she works with parents who feel overwhelmed and at the end of their rope. She helps them regain control of their lives and provides them the tools and strategies needed to shift parents from feeling stressed and overwhelmed to regaining control of their lives and feeling gratitude and joy in their lives.

Find Nicole on IG: @nicoledauz
http://www.nicoledauz.com

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support: www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

The first, second, third…. times we experience a holiday or an event since changes or the loss of someone we love can be so hard. These moments and the anticipation of them can be so full of loss and grief and memories of what once was. 

In today’s episode, Stephanie talks about these moments, what they can feel like and what we can start to do to process and acknowledge them rather than push the pain away. 

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support: www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

As an only child, for many years Stephanie thought that having a sibling by her side would really help in the caregiving process. But after working with caregivers for many years, she soon realized that this is not always the case. In today’s episode, Stephanie walks listeners through some scenarios when sibling conflict was more prevalent than support in caregiving. 

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
 www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
 http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

Nicole Petrie is not a person who is easily describable with words. Using her passion for FTD advocacy and surpassing numerous obstacles and limits in her way, she achieved an outstanding career in modeling, featured in some of the largest publications and on the largest platforms worldwide. In today’s episode, Nicole talks about her journey caring for her mother with early onset FTD as she continues to pursue her career, boundlessly advocating for dementia and FTD and all that surrounds these diagnoses.

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
 www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
 http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

About Nicole:

Nicole Petrie is a model, activist, entrepreneur, and caregiver from Wisconsin. Since her mom's FTD diagnosis she has dedicated her career & social media presence to raising awareness for dementia related diseases and the hard work of caregivers everywhere. She has grown an online community of over 1.1 million followers between tiktok & Instagram, sharing a variety of videos including, her day-to-day life as a young adult caregiver & educational information about dementia. Some of her notable professional accomplishments include being featured in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, becoming an official ambassador for The Association of FrontoTemporal Degeneration, & modeling for brands such as Ulta, Bulgari, and Balmain. Additionally, Nicole has recently created a clothing & accessory merchandise line with designs that aim to recognize caregivers, spread awareness for FTD, and honor her mother. 

Find Nicole on Instagram: @nicolepetrie
 On her website: http://www.nicolepetrie.com

Thank you to today’s sponsor, Memorable Minds. To learn more about Memorable Minds and all that they do for caregivers, visit https://www.memorablemindsconsulting.com/.

When Katrina Prescott left her commercial production role in New York City and returned to British Columbia as she was faced with the realities of her aging grandmother. Little did she know, almost immediately following her grandmother’s passing, she would become a full on solo caregiver for her mother with FTD. In today’s episode, Katrina takes you through her caregiving journey and talks about what she learned along the way and the incredible advocacy she now engages in daily for caregivers everywhere.

About Katrina:

Katrina Prescott is an accomplished media producer.Her personal experience caring for her mother who was living with dementia compelled her to embark on a new career in caregiving advocacy and education. Now a sought-after Caregiving Coach, Katrina has harnessed what she learned first-hand as a full-time caregiver with her innate ability to teach and guide others without judgment as they navigate through this often overwhelming, exhausting, and yet also potentially rewarding journey.

From navigating the healthcare system, guiding people through the fluctuating stages of hope and grief, finding helpful programs and resources, and encouraging caregivers in a straightforward yet highly engaging approach, Katrina is a beacon for both caregivers and care recipients.  

By combining her role as a producer with insights from lived caregiving experiences, Katrina produced the widely viewed web series “Therapeutic Fibbing”.  Already seen by over one million people to date, this innovative educational series uses real-life examples and re-enactments of common scenarios often encountered by people who find themselves as caregivers to loved ones with dementia. The series offers tools and learning - and even some gentle humour - and has garnered significant caregiver engagement.

In 2023, Katrina received an award for Caregiving Advocacy by the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. Looking ahead, she aspires to drive transformation in health care for individuals with chronic illness and their caregivers and collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders including non-profit groups, researchers, politicians, universities and medical professionals.

Find Katrina on her website: https://www.katrinaprescott.com/

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
 www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
 http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

As people, we have thousands and thousands of thoughts each and every day. But do you truly recognize your thoughts and are you aware of the thoughts you are having? How are your thoughts impacting you and your daily life as a caregiver?

In this episode, Jessica and Stephanie talk about the importance of noticing our thoughts and how this practice can change our lives, emotions and overall outlook. 

About Jessica:

Jessica is a writer, meditation teacher, death doula, and dementia consultant. Her studies with Ram Dass, Joseph Goldstein, Alua Arthur, and Pema Chodron have shaped her mindfulness and doula work with the dementia community, which focuses on bringing awareness to our thoughts and leading with compassion. You can find her on Instagram (@alzheimers_awakening) and Substack (@alzheimersawakening).

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
 www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
 http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

The driver’s license and cognitive or physical impairment. Something that, unless you’ve experienced it, you can never fully understand. The battle and the ethics and the nuances to exploring safety vs. autonomy and taking the path of least resistance.

What in the world do we do when we are faced with the reality that it may be time to confront the reality that to the person you care for may no longer be safe to drive (or maybe they have already been told by a member of their medical team they cannot and you are now dealing with the aftermath).

In this episode, Stephanie takes you through the emotions and internal/ external battle of this very complex situation and takes you through her own personal experiences with the driver’s license and her own mother.

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
 www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
 http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

We hear about this term, caregiver burnout, so often. But what exactly is ‘burnout’ and how do we get there? What can we do to try and prevent or mitigate burnout? In today’s episode, Stephanie takes it back to basics to talk about this commonly used term and what it means.

We want your feedback. Let us know how you liked today’s episode! 

Rate, review and subscribe to let us know you are enjoying this podcast and want to hear more!

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
 www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
 http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving

Caitlin Melvin’s life changed forever in 2021 when her 3 week old baby Scottie passed away. Having to continue caring for her young son in the face of grief, Caitlin learned how to navigate a situation she never thought she would face. In today’s episode, Caitlin talks about feeling substantial pain and having to continue on while growing her family and running a successful business.

About Caitlin:

Caitlin Melvin lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and two children, Huxley and Goldie (and kitty - Lucca!). Caitlin owns Melvin Marketing Group, a boutique marketing agency that focuses on social media marketing and branding. She balances life with her passions for motherhood, cooking and baking, snowboarding, and enjoying Vancouver and the surrounding area via hiking boots, her bicycle and long drives with her family.

Find Caitlin on Instagram: @caitlinalison 

Visit us on our website to see all that we offer for caregiver support:
www.compassionincaregiving.com 

For more visit our Instagram!
http://www.instagram.com/compassionincaregiving