Getting support for someone experiencing mental health issues and/or addictions can be a challenge. Family members are often the first to notice that something is not quite right, but they may not know where to turn or how to seek help.

OCO’s new videos, made in collaboration with family caregivers, provides strategies that may help you to access support, whether your care recipient is willing or not willing to seek out help themselves.

My sister often said, “For over 12 years, I was never asked by a doctor how I was doing while being a caregiver to my husband."

This statement will forever be etched in my memory.

Over the years, my sister always had a look of weariness that seemed to indicate things were too much to bear. She was a caregiver to her husband who was diagnosed with a chronic illness. While she remained his primary source of support, both their lives were changed forever. My sister managed doctors’ appointments, emergencies run, family updates, research on chronic illness, and dealt with her husband’s unmanageable chronic pain. She was living a life of uncertainty and had a constant feeling that weighed her down.