We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Allan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I think having Caregiver Networks Club is a meaningful project for myself but also for the community. It brings me joy to do something out of the kindness of my heart and help so many people who need support.

Kelly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always enjoyed helping others in the community. I have let my passions and love guide me throughout life and at various jobs. I started working at a retirement community when I was in high school and found my passion to help seniors. While caregiving I began to notice how frustrating it is to find caregiving and senior resources for family caregivers and caregivers in general. I began to notice that there are others out there struggling to find support and resources. After years of seeing families struggle, not have the resources available to them or not knowing who to ask to get the resources I decided I wanted to create a caregiver support group to help the community. I made it my mission to help anyone and everyone that I could. I think some things in life should be FREE and receiving support and resources should be one of them.

I started Caregiver Networks Club in October 2017 and I have helped many families and caregivers to find the support, resources and knowledge that they need to care for their clients or their loved ones. My group is also for anyone in the community who supports caregivers and seniors.

It was a challenge in the beginning as I was also going to school full time and working full time. It is truly my passion to strengthen the caregiver community and I always find time to build my network, gain resources and get guest speakers for my group.

Caregiver Networks Club is a FREE support group for families taking care of a loved one, compassionate caregivers and anyone in the healthcare industry who supports caregivers and seniors. If you are interested in networking, sharing resources, receiving new resources, meeting others who are in the same situation as you, learning from educational guest speakers, meeting caregivers, and finding support then you are at the right spot!

Caregiver Networks Club still continues to blossom and offer free monthly hybrid meetings. If you are interested in joining Caregiver Networks Club email list or learning more about meetings and events please email Kelly at [email protected]

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first started Caregiver Networks Club in October 2017, I had no expectations of how the group was going to grow or if it was even going to thrive. I started having meetings at various coffee shops and then at retirement communities and then my meetings got shut down due to the PANDEMIC in 2020. I felt defeated but I knew I needed to make a big decision and soon!
I knew how much my meetings meant to my members and to me. We all needed the social support especially during 2020. I started having zoom meetings and the attendance was low. I could tell that many of my members missed the in person aspect of our meetings. I believe that its important for attendees to not feel left out. We currently have monthly hybrid meetings where attendees are welcome to join on zoom or in person.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Caregiving is very challenging for all involved. It can be a very overwhelming and at times an emotional experience.

The Mission of Caregiver Networks Club is to provide FREE resources and support, strengthen the community with knowledge and education so everyone has the tools to help themselves, their clients and their loved ones. Caregiver Networks Club is the bridge that connects members to resources that they need or will need either now or in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onelovingcaregiver.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caregivernetworks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caregivernetworksclub/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

All photos have been created or taken by me (Kelly Allan).