/R E P E A T -- Positive Response To Education That Addresses End-Of-Life Family Caregiver Needs/

TORONTO, April 13, 2013 /CNW/ - St. John Ambulance recently introduced a new education program designed to provide much needed information and assistance to non-professional caregivers who are providing care for family members or friends suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses within the confines of their own home.  These caregivers may be family members, partners, parents, children, and close friends.

Response to the program that addresses the physical, psychological, social, spiritual and practical issues faced by caregivers while looking after their loved ones at home has been very positive with participants embracing the over-all goal of the program.  Participants, many of them spouses of terminally ill patients, have expressed how valuable they feel the program is as a supplement to existing medical, palliative and health care agency support systems.  They also see the program as a key benefit to providing much needed information and answers early on in the diagnosis and treatment process.

St. John Ambulance wishes to extend its appreciation to the key contributors of this valuable educational service, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, The Order of Saint Lazarus, and the program designers, Mr. Anthony Lea, Executive Director of the St. John Ambulance Kitchener-Waterloo Branch and Dr. Robert Boyko, the Provincial Medical Advisor for St. John Ambulance in Ontario.

For more information on St. John Ambulance's Home Caregiver Support Program, please contact St. John Ambulance Ontario at: 1 [phone] ext. 243, or by email: [e-mail].

For over 125 years, St. John Ambulance has been training over half a million Canadians annually in first aid and other health care related courses and remains dedicated to improving lives at work, home and play. With nearly 20,000 volunteers contributing over one-million hours of community service a year, St. John Ambulance is an integral part of the community offering such unique and innovative programs as: medical first response, disaster response, health and safety related adult and youth programs and therapy dog services. As a charitable, humanitarian organization, proceeds from St. John Ambulance's first aid training and first aid product sales directly support these vital community services programs. For information on St. John Ambulance training courses and volunteer opportunities/services visit www.sja.ca.

SOURCE: St. John Council for Ontario (St. John Ambulance)

For further information:

Brian Cole
Director, Provincial Operations (Ontario)
St. John Ambulance - Council for Ontario
15 Toronto Street, Suite 800
Toronto, ON
M5C 2E3
Tel. [phone] ext. 243
Email: [e-mail]