Random Acts of Kindness

Family Caregiver Week Family caregivers were honoured in BC during the week of May 11th to May 17th, 2008 and The Rotary Club of Port Moody's weekly Random Act of Kindness presented the perfect opportunity to help recognize these dedicated and caring individuals. Family caregivers come in many forms..they may be a 21 year old son who is supporting his middle aged parent who has a rapidly progressing neurological condition; an elderly spouse who visits their wife or husband, every single day, in a care facility and gives them the love and companionship they need so much; or maybe it is a middle aged "child" in Calgary who is trying to help their Mom or Dad stay alone in their home in BC. despite the effects of an early dementia and challenges of caregiving from a distance. Family caregiving can be a truly meaningful and rewarding experience but it can also tax the physical, emotional, and financial resources of the caregiver. It is hard to imagine what it would be like without these dedicated souls - our health and social systems would be quickly overwhelmed. If not for the care and the work of families in helping other family members through illness and disability we would all pay the social costs. It was very heartwarming to be able to acknowledge how important family caregivers are to the strength of our greater community. During Family Caregiver Week, the funds from the Random Act of Kindness allowed staff to place a large bowl of beautiful carnations at the front entrance of Eagle Ridge Manor...Port Moody's only Residential Care facility. Each flower was tagged with a card that read "Compliments of the Rotary Club of Port Moody �?" in honour of Family Caregiver Week" and visitors were encouraged to help themselves. The flowers were part of a display that included some information on stress and coping and copies of the BC Government's proclamation of this special week. It brought many smiles to the faces of families, friends and the Manor residents and gave a very deserving group of people an encouraging and heartfelt pat on the back.