[Kathryn:] So Amr, you have been a caregiver partner to VHA for about four years and the
co-chair of our Client and Carer Advisory Committee for most of that time.
You're also caregiver to your sister Dina who who is a client of VHA and your contribution
is really very appreciated and highly valuable and I want to know, what is it that made you
want to be a caregiver partner to VHA and what motivated you to give us your very precious
volunteer hours?
[Amr:] It was a complaint actually. My sister had been a client of VHA for a couple of years
but at that point in time I wasn't really her caregiver. My mom was and after my mom
passed away I became a caregiver. I was struggling with a lot of new caregiving issues and there
was one day I was frustrated about an issue at VHA and I picked up the phone and asked
to speak to the CEO and the line was transferred right to the CEO. It was suggested that 'hey
maybe maybe you can think about joining. I had no idea what it was. I started to be open
to the idea you know, nothing hurts in trying, and I participated in one conference call
and then I remember that because in that conference call there was a whole bunch of caregivers
on the call and I was really lonely and isolated. I felt I was the only person in the world
having uh dealing with these new caregiving issues and all of a sudden when I heard these
people talking it was like just like 'oh my god there are people like me.' And there aren't
even words to describe how I'm feeling and what I'm going through so that kind of got
me in the door to say hey maybe there's something in it for you. The second part which I found
as time grew by is that I can actually influence what's going on, so rather than sitting at
home and be upset about something or wish there was something that would be different,
I can actually make changes. [Kathryn:] So I'm still very much on a learning
curve, and I think that what I need to know from you is what do I need to keep top of
mind to ensure our care and service is client and family focused?
[Amr:] For me I always think about it. It's all about the person sitting at home on a
Sunday morning waiting for someone to take them out of bed. This is what it's really
all about so coming up with innovative solutions to the current shortage of talent, that's
that's a big one for me. Something else, like virtual care, is ways that we can utilize
the resources we have better to reach out to people maybe who can receive certain types
of care at home without having the resources travel. These are these are things I think
could be of immediate benefit and I'm advocating for that. It's not to say that the view on
the long term is not important- it's just as important, but to me, who I care about
is my sister sitting at home and the care she received today.
[Kathryn:] So you have just joined our Quality Improvement and Risk Management Committee
of the Board. What is it that made you want to take this fairly big commitment and what
is it that you you'd like to contribute? [Amr:] Through the time I've spent engaging
on the Client Advisory I've come to appreciate and respect what VHA is about. You've got
a great management team. There's a true commitment to people like my sister. I feel that there
is a real keen interest to deal with things and and get things right for the client. It
made me more interested to be able to join and be able to influence the bigger decisions.
I want to use this chance to mention my colleagues on the Advisory Council. These are clients
and caregivers who bring a very excellent perspectives to the table and representing
other clients and caregivers who work extremely well together extremely, well with VHA management
not being shy about voicing their opinion but maintaining a positive environment and
working for the benefit of all the clients and caregivers and these folks have really
been doing an amazing job and and I think that the Advisory Council is a great initiative
by VHA. [Kathryn:] Thank you for being part of it
and yeah we're always looking for folks to show interest in being part of that council,
continuing to grow it as people move on to other roles like the board. Thank you