Meet Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS

It is my pleasure to welcome Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS as our guest blogger.  Emilia is an occupational therapist, the CEO of Higher Standards Caregiver Training, and co-founder of Whole Care Network University (WCNU). She is the perfect guest for National Family Caregiver Month. Emilia is a trailblazer and leader. Take it away, Emilia.

Who Me,  A Family Caregiver?

Like most people I meet in the care community, I never thought of myself as a caregiver. I am mom, a daughter, a therapist, a wife, a personal taxi to my two sons.  Frankly, it never crossed my mind to apply the term “caregiver” to myself.

Born and Raised to Care for Others

My mother became ill when I was very young. In fact, I cannot remember the time before she was sick. Those days I remember her countless hospital, doctor office, and physical therapy appointments.  I helped my mother shower and dress. There were many false promises that a new medication, treatment, or adjustment were within reach. Those magical fixes never materialized; however, she did get better through grit, love, and determination. Mom won her way back to independence. Being a part of that journey taught me many things, including  compassion and empathy. Although I never embraced  the term caregiver back then, I believe that my family’s care journey is fundamental to whom I am today.

Occupational Therapy

I am fiercely independent and passionate about helping others maximize their potential by facing challenges and reaching or exceeding their goals as my mother did.  This is why I became an occupational therapist.

Fragmented Care System Lacks Coordination

I practice in different settings, from hospitals, to rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, and in the community. Patients and families endure complicated care journeys. My work includes conducting training and education sessions.  My goal is to empower my patients and caregivers with tools for independence, safety, and success. There are so many ways that our care system is failing those we serve.

1. When family training is done in the hospital or rehab, the medical team is essentially handing off day-to-day responsibilities for all healthcare needs to a person or group of people who:

•   are already tired and overwhelmed.
•   may be confused about what is happening and why.
•   have lots of emotions about what is happening.
•   are not in the right mental state to learn.
•   most likely, do NOT have a background in health or healthcare.

2. For most families, the home environment will be NOTHING like the rehab or hospital environment. This makes it harder to translate training into the real world.
3. People and care needs will change over time.
4. No one ever learns something complex from seeing, hearing, or doing it once. Most people need several repetitions before they can begin to apply new learning.
5. This type of training is only one piece of the puzzle that caregivers need to be successful.

Family care-team support is vital.

1.    Empower caregivers with quality information to anticipate and prevent new health problems.
2.    Caregiver’s health requires attention as their well-being and ability to perform tasks is critical for a patient’s success.
3. No one can care for another person all by themselves. We need a village.

Education From Caregiving Experts

I could spend days, weeks discussing the many layers of dysfunction in our healthcare system that frustrate caregivers. I decided to direct my energy into solutions. I built Higher Standards Caregiving Training and co-found Whole Care Network University (WCNU) with Christopher MacLellan.

WCNU, from the Whole Care Network, is a safe online university for caregivers to get reliable, quality information.  Our faculty are subject matter experts from a variety of disciplines. The classes range from wound prevention to medication management, to stress-reduction to yoga, dementia communication, finances, therapeutic journaling, and medical legal issues.

The university offers courses from experts including emergency medicine Dr. Brittany Lamb, MD, caregiver consultant Elizabeth Miller, physician assistant Shay Domangue, and social worker and gerontologist Lisa Kendall. No two care journeys are the same. WCNU content and experts help users personalize their experience at WCNU.

Whole Care Network University Is Here for You

Join the Village.

The Family Caregiver Resource Village is a private community, accessible only for WCNU members. “Villagers” attend free WCNU expert lead events, schedule personalized sessions with WCNU experts, and participate in village discussion boards.  In addition, Villagers enjoy discounts on products and services.

 Take a course.

Caregivers can search for courses by topic, by expert, or just scroll through our offerings. All courses are available online 24/7/365 so users can access when and when the time is right. Choose to pay for a monthly  fee of $1.99 or annual subscription of $20.00.  In fact, the greatest bargain is to combine a village and course membership. Sign-up is easy using the button provided below.

Stronger Together

WCNU is built on the belief that we are all stronger together. That is why we are teaming up with REUNIONCare to reach even more caregivers and connect those caregivers with even MORE resources! Check out Monica Stynchula and Chris  MacLellan’s podcasts ‘It Takes a Team to Care’ and “Your Future Self” using the WCN Streaming app.  I hope to see you in the Village soon!