Introducing Rachel Qian

Published October 18, 2021 Hello! My name is Rachel, and I am the Caregiver Navigator at the Richmond Family & Friend Caregiver Hub.

I have been a caregiver to my mom and father-in-law for over 6 years. Their physical health is not stable due to chronic diseases. While taking care of them, I feel deeply how rewarding and exhausting it could be as a caregiver. Fortunately, there are so many great resources and support provided by non-profits just like RCRG for non-paid caregivers in the community.

Through Richmond Family & Friend Caregiver Hub, our free workshops, online resources, and services for caregivers help them feel supported emotionally and find the resources and information they may need to care for loved ones and themselves. With us, caregivers may develop a sense of connection and strength. And they may be better prepared and informed as they start or continue on their caregiving journey.

From the client feedback, I am thrilled to know they are providing caregiving more efficiently, better balancing jobs and caregiving responsibilities, and feeling relieved from caregiving anxiety, stress and panic.

According to the recent report by Statistics Canada, Richmond has the longest average life expectancy in Canada, and our senior’s population is the fastest growing of any municipality in B.C. Behind the aging and vulnerable population, there are thousands of family and friend caregivers who have done so much and always been there for their loved ones. Now, let us also do something for our caregivers!

大家好！我是列治文家庭及朋友照顾者资源中心的照顾者引导员Rachel。

我本人从6年前开始协助照顾我的母亲及公公。这两位老人深受慢性病的折磨，健康状况都不稳定。我在照顾他们的时候，亲身感受到照顾他人可以带来多么大的成就感，但同时，也会让人身心俱疲。幸运的是，对我们这些照顾者来说，有一些非盈利机构提供了非常好的相关资源和支持，让我们不再是孤军奋战。

列治文家庭及朋友照顾者资源中心就是其中一个非常好的资源。我们为照顾者们提供免费的讲座、活动、线上和线下资源，帮助他们获得知识、讯息、娱乐和心理等各方面的支持，让他们在照顾他人时不再感到孤单、无助和压力山大。

工作中，我也得到了我们很多照顾者的反馈。其中很多人都表示，我们的活动和资源让他们可以更高效地照顾他人，更好地平衡工作和照顾者的职责，也减少了压力和焦虑。

加拿大统计局的最新报告显示，列治文市的平均人口寿命在全加拿大独占鳌头，其人口老龄化的速度也在整个卑诗省名列前茅。在很多老人和弱势人群的身后，是那些默默无闻、辛勤付出的照顾者们，他们值得我们每个人的尊敬和感谢！现在，让我们通过列治文家庭及朋友照顾者资源中心，也为你们——我们可爱的照顾者们，做一些事吧！