Tamara Sussman, PhD, is Associate Professor at the McGill School of Social Work. For over ten years, she has worked with adults and families to manage health-related issues in both hospital and community settings. Dr. Sussman’s research focuses on how health services and systems impact older adults and their family members. Dr. Sussman will respond to questions about how informal caregivers can take care of themselves in order to take better care of their loved one. She will talk about feelings that come up when caring for a loved one, such as sadness, worry and stress, and she will discuss how to recognize when these feelings become more problematic and can lead to depression, anxiety and burnout. And lastly, she will offer guidance on where to turn for help when coping with these feelings.

This free webcast is sponsored by Home Care Assistance.

Original Air Date: July 15, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Isabelle Gélinas, PhD, is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation in Montreal. Her research interests include the measurement of functional abilities in persons with cognitive deficits such as dementia. She developed the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD), a measure of functional abilities in activities of daily living, which is used clinically and in clinical trials internationally. Dr. Gélinas will answer questions about how we can best help our loved ones with reduced autonomy actively participate in a meaningful way in domestic tasks and personal care for as long as possible.

This free webcast is sponsored by Home Care Assistance.

Original Air Date: July 8, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Ms. Marguerite Blais has held the position of Minister Responsible for Seniors and Informal Caregivers in the National Assembly of Quebec and Member for Prévost in the Coalition Avenir Québec since October 2018. After completing her graduate studies in music and teaching for a few years, Ms. Blais pursued advanced studies in communications and spent 30 years working as a successful radio and television host and journalist. She was involved in several charitable organizations, and entered politics in 2007 as a Liberal Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the electoral division of Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne in Montreal, a position she held until 2015.

As a former caregiver, Ms. Blais will share her personal experience about the challenges that caregivers face and talk about what led her to become such a passionate advocate. She will also discuss what steps we need to take to ensure that seniors are being properly cared for.

Original Air Date: July 27, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Dr. Donald Doell practices geriatrics at the McGill University Health Centre and is an Assistant Professor in the McGill Faculty of Medicine. He is particularly interested in dementia care and has worked with many of the leading experts in neurology, psychiatry and geriatrics in Canada. He will provide insight into some of the challenging behaviours caused by dementia and look at the ways they can be addressed.

Original Air Date: June 17, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Dr. David Eidelman is Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. A respirologist and clinician scientist, Dr. Eidelman previously served as Chair of McGill’s Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of the McGill University Health Centre. During this webinar, Dr. Eidelman will answer questions about how the pandemic has impacted medicine and all the health professions and sciences represented in the Faculty, and its influence on the way our teachers will teach and our students will learn in the future.

Original Air Date: June 10, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Corrie Sirota is a clinical social worker and sessional lecturer at the McGill School of Social Work who specializes in loss, bereavement and stress management. She is the author of Someone Died... Now What? A Personal and Professional Perspective on Coping with Loss and Grief. A co-host of the weekly radio show “Life Unrehearsed” on CJAD, she is also a well-known speaker and facilitator of psychosocial prevention and interventions for schools, camp staff, community agencies and organizations. She will speak about how COVID-19 is affecting the way we grieve and how gratitude can help the grieving process. She will also suggest ways to honour the memory of a person who died and provide insight on how to support a grieving family member or friend.

Original Air Date: June 3, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Dr. José Morais is Professor and the Director of Geriatric Medicine at the McGill Faculty of Medicine, the McGill University Health Centre and Jewish General Hospital. In addition to being Academic Lead of the McGill Dementia Education Program, he is Co-Director of the Quebec Network for Research on Aging and past President of the Canadian Geriatrics Society. He conducts research on the organization of services for older adults, and on nutrition and metabolism as they pertain to healthy and fragile aging. Dr. Morais will speak about how seniors are being affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and how they can stay safe and healthy during this difficult period.

Original Air Date: May 27, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Dr. Serge Gauthier is the Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Research Unit of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging and a Professor in the Departments of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, and Medicine at McGill University. He will answer questions about dementia: what it is, how it differs from normal aging and how it progresses. He will focus on what caregivers need to know about dementia and its associated behavioural and psychological symptoms to help them keep their loved one safe and to minimize distress during the pandemic.

Original Air Date: May 20, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].

Isabelle Poirier was caring for her three children while also looking after her mother, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s eight years ago. Isabelle will talk about the challenges she faced as a “sandwich generation” caregiver while trying to balance her responsibilities. She will also touch upon the difficulties that she encountered while navigating the health care system and finding long-term placement for her mother, who was one of the unfortunate victims of COVID-19.

Original air date: May 13, 2020

McGill Cares is a weekly webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.

For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].