By Ian Sutton

Caregiver Network Inc. is once again at the leading edge in communications for Canadian caregivers and their aging family members.

Karen Henderson, founder of Caregiver Network, has joined two other communications companies in developing a series of television programs - hosted by one of Canada's own national treasures, June Callwood - to be launched in February 1998. The project, which will also include a series of nationally distributed videos, has received major sponsorship support from Allianz Canada, part of the world-wide Allianz Group.

Programs in the series, Caregiving with June Callwood, will be broadcast initially by Prime TV over a 26-week period (including repeats) starting February 1. They will provide practical guidance and support to thousands of older Canadians and their families who are coping with the challenges of aging. The series is expected to be picked up for broadcast by other cable networks following its initial airing by Prime TV.

"From Caregiver Network's inception, I have wanted to make information and support available to all Canadians," Henderson said in announcing the television series. "Allianz Canada's generous support is a major step in accomplishing this goal."

The television and video series will include information on such topics as financial planning for aging Canadians, safety and security, housing options, health care, dementia, nutrition and fitness, as well as advice on personal relationships. The programs will also deal with the stress of caring for older family members. Viewers of the television series will be encouraged to phone in their questions and comments during the programs.

Caregiver Network has been working in partnership with Quasarts Productions, an Oshawa-based communications company, for more than two years in developing the project. The TV and video series will be produced in association with Electric Entertainment, a Toronto production company which turns out such popular television programs as Jane Hawtin Live, Doctor On Call and Linehan.

"The timing of this series couldn't be better because so many Canadians are searching for this kind of information to better their lives - particularly in the wake of so many cutbacks in services," said Jill Walters, president of Quasarts.

Judy DesRoches, assistant vice-president of marketing for Allianz Canada, said that as sponsor of the program series, Allianz' goal is to provide Canadians with timely information designed to enhance the health and well-being of our growing seniors population and "to help us all realize the joy that caregiving can bring.

"At Allianz, we understand that insurance is about planning ahead," DesRoches said. "It's about caring and it's about protecting - not just our material goods - but protecting what matters."

Jane Hawtin, vice-president and partner at Electric Entertainment, has taken a strong personal interest in her company's involvement in producing the series. Having been a caregiver for her mother, who died of brain cancer, and then her father, who died last year of leukemia, Hawtin said she knows how difficult it is to get the help and support one needs.

"From my 20 years in broadcasting, I also know how vital it is for caregivers to be able to talk about the struggles they're facing and the changes they are seeing in their loved ones - that's why it's so important that a live, interactive, television show like Caregiving with June Callwood will now be available nationally with all the resources that we have at our disposal," Hawtin said.

The project has been endorsed by the Canadian Association for Community Care, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, The Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens' Organizations, The Alliance of Seniors to Protect Canada's Social Programs and the Association of Jewish Seniors.

The multi-media project, which will complement the information now provided by Caregiver Network's existing Internet Web site and quarterly newsletter, has been developed in recognition of the rapid growth in the 60-plus population. With this growth comes an urgent need for practical information to help older Canadians and their families deal with the challenges of maintaining maximum independence and quality of life.

By 2011, the number of Canadians age 65 and older will increase 40 per cent to almost five million, increasing the burden of care on family members, including hundreds of thousands of older caregivers themselves.

Caregiving With June Callwood on Prime TV

Each one-hour program airs on Sundays at 5 p.m. EST on Prime TV and is repeated twice on the Sunday after it first aired, once at 1 a.m. and again at 9 a.m. EST. All 13 episodes will be repeated at the same times each Sunday from May 3 to July 26.

• Feb. 1: - Psychology of Aging
• Feb. 8: - Planning for the Future
• Feb. 15: - Accommodation, Part 1
• Feb. 22:- Accommodation, Part 2
• Mar. 1: - Relationships
• Mar. 8: - Home Care
• Mar. 15: - Safety and Security
• Mar. 22: - Dementia
• Mar. 29: - Mobility and Sensory Disabilities
• April 5: - Health Care Management
• April 12: - Abuse
• April 19: - Palliative Care/End-of-Life Issues
• April 26: - Care for the Caregiver