Support through shared experiences

Finding support: Where to begin? Sometimes it exists, sometimes we have to create it. We start on a journey replete with “we don’t know what we don’t know.”

The best place to start is in the health sector with a general practitioner and your local CIUSSS. They will provide direction and information on the support, programs, and resources available to you given your particular situation.

Once we transition into the school sector we can seek guidance from the school administration as well as their student services and special needs department. They will provide our children with the best support and programs they have to offer. The health sector and the education sector coexist and collaborate in the best interest of the child and family.

This process continues throughout the child’s schooling, transition into adulthood, and beyond. It is a laborious process, one that we have to be on top of all the time. Through our journey, we meet all kinds of people and families. We end up in a club that we might not necessarily want to be a part of but wouldn’t want to be without for only they can understand our realities.

These groups provide a wealth of knowledge and support; a small community that is with us throughout every stage of our journey and with whom we create support that is not available otherwise – a group of people who fill the gaps of what lacks and doesn’t exist to meet the needs of our children as they age.

Nuclear families are in a predicament as their handicapped child ages along with the rest of the family. These families find themselves not only caring for their aging child but for their elderly parents as well. When we reach that point we can use the knowledge and resources we have gained in caring for our children in caring for our elderly parents.

The key to all this is to share our realities with one another and our families, and by default, it creates a circle of support. By sharing with one another, we help those around us who can learn from our experiences, and we gain knowledge from theirs. It creates a wealth of support and resources. It forges a path for those who follow in our footsteps, creates a better future for all of our children, and advocates for their quality of life. It is hoped that this will, one day, be sewn into our national fabric.

Share your story. It could be a lifeline to someone else.

 Joanne Charron is the president of The C.A.R.E. Centre and special advisor to Inspirations. Contact her at charronjoanne@gmail.com