Section 1
What is a Caregiver?
Definition of a Caregiver - A person, male or female, who provides care in the name of protection, supervision and conscientiousness.
A Caregiver is:

• a spouse
• a relative
• a friend/neighbour
• a professional

You become a Caregiver when you assume the responsibility to provide help or a service that the Care-Receiver normally or regularly performed.

The Caregivers’ Bill of Rights

1. I have the right to take care of my own needs.
2. I have the right to feel and appropriately express all of my feelings, positive and negative.
3. I have the right to set limits about how much I am willing to do.
4. I have the right to ask other family members and friends for help.
5. I have the right to seek professional help and information that will make my job as Caregiver easier.
6. I have the right to develop areas of my life that have nothing to do with the care of the receiver.
7. I have the right to free time.
8. I have the right to feel good about the difficult job I am doing.
9. I have a responsibility to be honest and truthful.
10. I have a responsibility to respect the Care-Receiver.
11. I have a responsibility to encourage good relations with other care providers and family members.

(Source: Caregiver Alliance of North York)

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The POINT Caregivers' Handbook (90 pages) can be purchased at P.O.I.N.T. (People and Organizations in North Toronto), 200 Eglinton Ave. West, 1st Floor, Toronto, ON, M4R 1A7
Call: 416-487-2390 or email:
$15 - Individuals -- $20 - Organizations.