It’s been two years since Rick Lauber came to the city with his new book, The Caregiver’s Guide for Canadians, and spoke to an audience at the then-called St. Albert Senior Citizens’ Club.

Now, the author is back for a repeat appearance today, and his message is more important than ever. The fact that he’s been so busy talking to various bookstore and senior-related audiences all this time, he says, means that the information is definitely needed.

“How much is it needed?” I ask.

“One hundred and fifty per cent! Our population is aging in our country. It’s something like 14 per cent of Canada’s population is now 65 plus,” he explained, referring to data from the 2011 national census. “That number is going to increase dramatically so, yes, this information – any information – for caregivers is vital.”

According to a population projection report prepared for Alberta Health and Wellness in 2007, the number of seniors in this province alone will surpass the number of children within the next 15 years.

With that kind of imminent future to look forward to, it seems plausible that some seniors and their caregivers might be getting anxious about how well the New Age of the Aged might transpire. He said that everywhere he goes, he always gets a warm reception, adding further evidence that he’s filling a need for knowledge.

“I get any kind of response from ‘thank God you’ve written this’ to ‘what a great resource you’ve got’ to ‘I’m not ready for it yet but I’ll look at it in six months’ time when things are needed’. I hear a lot of stories from people that are currently caregiving or expecting to.”

The guidebook offers practical advice for caregivers of the elderly, discusses subjects like dealing with stress, searching for long-term care and even finding the joy in caregiving, while also offering various secondary resources including some that can be found on the Internet.

Because interest has been so high, and because Lauber predicts that the book’s import will only grow over time as the demographics shift to an older population, he has already started preparing for a second edition.

He wouldn’t divulge many details about what would be new or changed in that printing, or when it would come out, but he did say that it will at least have updated statistics and at least one new chapter.

“I’m reminded how necessary information and resources are to caregivers because that help isn’t always readily available, or not always sought out because a family caregiver thinks that he or she can do it all him or herself, which is a mistake.”

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