Ms. Karen Henderson, EPC
Founding Member CIEPS Advisory Council & Faculty Member
 

Ten years ago, Karen became a “crisis caregiver” after her father’s first stroke, and began a relentless study of dementia as her father slipped further from reality to his death in a long-term care facility in April 2000. This challenging caregiving experience led Karen to start Caregiver Network in 1996 she then developed the Caregiver Seminar series, Caregiver Newsletter and Personal Care Binder. In May 2000 she launched How to Care a web site that focuses on practical, portable information for caregivers.

Karen is now a well-known and respected speaker, writer, media commentator, educator and consultant in the field of caregiving for the elderly. As part of the Caregiver Consortium, she co-created and co-produced Caregiving with June Callwood, a 13-part TV/video series on aging and caregiving and The Aging and Caregiving Resource Guide. Most recently she was published in Alzheimer’s Care Quarterly, a respected U.S. peer journal edited in Canada, and in Geriatrics Today: Journal of The Canadian Geriatrics Society.

Karen is a member of the Canadian Association on Gerontology and Toronto-based Dementia LINC. She sits on the advisory committee for Ontario’s Strategy for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias and was a member of the Communications Working Group for the Round Table for Ontario’s Elder Abuse Strategy. For the past three years, Karen has been a member of the judging panel that selects Allianz Canada’s Caregiver of the Year. Karen was a founding board member of the Canadian Caregiver Coalition (CCC) and is a member of the national Ottawa-based Canadian Working Group on Seniors’ Health Issues. In December 2000, she became a founding member of the Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition to improve end-of-life care for all Canadians. IN April 2002 she became a founding member of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health. Most recently she was asked to join the advisory board for Canadian Initiative for Elder Planning Studies and teaching faculty as the long term care specialist for the new Elder Planning Counselor (EPC) designation.

She was asked by the National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) to contribute an article on the mental health of informal caregivers for their series on Writings in Gerontology: Mental Health and Aging, which is distributed to over 3000 physicians, academics, students, caregivers, seniors and others interested in issues related to aging and seniors. In early 2002, Karen was asked by the Alzheimer Society of Canada to provide written feedback on their updated Tough Issues sheets, with particular emphasis on Quality of Life For Caregivers/Families of People With Alzheimer Disease.

In April 2003 a major Canadian Insurance company asked Karen to write the script and be featured in a video about the challenges of long term care. The video was shown across Canada in conjunction with the launch of their new long-term care insurance product.

Caregiver Network and How To Care represent the hard-fought ground Karen gained while caring for her father. These resources are both tributes to the elders who shaped us – and a powerful statement that no one should have to face the burden of caring alone.

Ask Karen a question e-mail Karen