Ensemble

07/29/2025

07/27/2025

$$ A SUMMER BOOST $$

As you go about your summer days, juggling schedules—yours, your kids' (with and without "special abilities"), your support staff’s, and anyone else who happens your way 😂—I want to remind you to add ONE more thing.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2025/06/canada-disability-benefit.html Canada Disability Benefit - Canada.ca

This is a site you NEED to look at!

As costs for everything continue to rise, availability of cash to meet the needs of your intellectually disabled family member continues to fall.

On June 20, 2025, your government announced an increase in funds available through the Canada Disability Benefit. So—continue your daily “schedule juggling,” which can be exhausting and emotionally draining, BUT be sure to schedule time to apply for increased funding from the Canada Disability Benefit.

Until next week; don’t forget to schedule “ME” time! You’ll feel re-energized!!

Best regards,

Marilyn
Ensemble Family Consultant and the Advisory Committee

07/25/2025

💛 To All Our Caregiving Families — You Are Seen and Loved 💛

As we head into the weekend, this is your gentle reminder:

You are doing an extraordinary job in an incredibly demanding role.

We see the way you love fiercely, advocate relentlessly, and show up day after day — even when you’re running on empty. The world may not always understand the depth of what you carry, but we do.

Please take a moment — even a small one — for yourself this weekend. Breathe. Rest. Laugh. Cry if you need to. Celebrate the tiny wins. Lean on your village.

At Ensemble, we believe in strengthening families together, and that means holding space for each other with compassion, encouragement, and connection.

You are not alone. You never were.

💚 With love and solidarity from your Ensemble family 💚

07/24/2025

Families often tell us that one of the more challenging aspects of future planning for a family member with a disability is creating and exploring options for home. In response, P4P offers a unique program in partnership with housing expert, Kelly Casey, aimed at helping families plan and create their housing vision for the future.

In this 10-week facilitated workshop called Crafting Your Individualized Housing Action Plan, families gain practical tools, expert guidance, and a supportive space to take real steps toward helping their family member create a home of their own.

Our next workshop starts this Fall on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm EST. Join us for one of our upcoming orientation sessions on August 13th and August 19th for the opportunity to ask questions and see if the workshop is the right fit for you and your family member.

Click here to learn more: https://conta.cc/4kX2Y4T

Register for the Fall Workshop: https://conta.cc/4o6eePc



Image Description: An illustrated graphic of two figures side by side, each with icons emerging from their heads, including multiple houses, a calculator, a target, a piggy bank, collectively representing housing decisions and planning. The text reads, "Crafting Your Individualized Housing Action Plan. 10-Week Virtual Program."

07/22/2025

💙 To the Caregivers — We See You 💙

Caring for a loved one with a disability is one of the most selfless acts a person can commit — and yet, it’s often done in silence, behind closed doors, and with little recognition.

It can feel isolating. Exhausting. Overwhelming.

But every single morning, despite your own pain, fatigue, or fear — you rise. You advocate. You comfort. You manage medications, appointments, therapies, behaviours, and paperwork. You sacrifice sleep, careers, and social lives — not because it’s easy, but because love fuels you.

If no one’s told you today — you are doing an incredible job.

To every parent, spouse, sibling, and guardian who feels unseen: you are not alone. This community is here for you. Let’s lift each other up, one post, one message, one connection at a time.

🤝 Together, we are stronger.
🧡 Together, we are heard.
🌻 Together, we keep going.

07/21/2025

Some of our favorite ileostomy hacks….

1. Marshmallows -eat marshmallows before a bag change or before you go swimming or when you’re nervous about output because it will slow your output.
2. Flonase-the nasal spray is amazing for healing red irritated skin. Use sparingly because overuse can thin the skin.
3. Use a layer of duoderm followed by a layer of tegaderm over the fl**ge to prolong the life of your fl**ge when swimming.
4. Tired of thick chunky paste? Load your paste into a 5ml slip tip syringe for an even texture application.
5. Heat your fl**ge by wrapping it in a heated (microwavable) rice heating bag.
6. If you worried about a partial blockage drink some Coca Cola. Many ostomates swear that it can help alleviate minor blockages.
7. Try convatec gelling diamonds in your bag especially at night because they reduce leaks, odor, and gas.
8. An ostomy belt can help reduce leaks and provide support especially for those like Stalen who love to move and jump all day.

Of course these are just suggestions. It’s always important to seek medical advice from your ostomy nurse and medical team.

07/21/2025

07/21/2025

I’ve been told countless times how amazing I am, how sweet my heart is, and how impactful my journey has been for others. People have related to my heart and found inspiration in how I show up for the world.

But here's the thing: I’m not perfect all the time. In fact, I fail.

I disappoint people. I make mistakes.

I make people sad, and I’ve let others down, sometimes even in the very spaces where I lead.

There was a time when that felt like it would break me. I thought, "What will people think? They'll see me as a hypocrite, a fake. They’ll realize I’m not who they thought I was."

The pressure of upholding an image of perfection is suffocating, and it’s something I have to let go of again and again.

But here’s the truth: it’s in these imperfections, these mistakes, that I learn, grow, and become better. It’s in my lowest points that I gain the wisdom to rise stronger.

With time comes wisdom.

With setbacks come setups.

With failures comes real success.

So, don’t forget—the people you admire are human too. We all stumble, we all fall. But it’s what we do in those moments, how we rise, and how we learn from our mistakes that truly defines us.

07/18/2025

🌟 Weekend Thoughts for Our Incredible Community 🌟

As we head into the weekend, take a deep breath and remember this:

You are doing an amazing job.

Whether you’re a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, or a caregiver — you carry so much love, strength, and resilience in your every day. Even on the hardest days, your care matters. Your efforts are seen. Your love is felt.

This weekend, we hope you find a moment to breathe. A moment to rest, even just for a few quiet minutes. A moment to laugh, connect, or simply sit with your coffee and know that you are not alone.

We are a community built on compassion, courage, and unwavering hope — and we’re in this together.

💛 Here’s to small joys, tiny victories, and the strength we never knew we had — until we had no choice but to find it.

With love and gratitude,
Diane Neves
Ensemble Committee Member

07/18/2025

We’re thrilled to be hosting the second Canadian Caregiving Summit! Join us to hear from the leading voices in care, policy and research on how we work together to make Canada the best place in the world to give and receive care. https://bit.ly/432sRIq

-------

Nous accueillons le 2e Sommet canadien pour les aidants, où s’exprimeront les principales voix en matière de soins, de politiques et de recherche pour faire du Canada le meilleur endroit où donner et recevoir des soins. https://bit.ly/43jUBrJ

07/16/2025

Families - Get Free Assistance With Disability Tax Credit and Canada Disability Benefit Applications!

Community Living Ontario recently shared a resource you may be interested in.

Plan Institute is a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to lead a good life. They help people with disabilities and their families make informed decisions about future and financial planning through their webinars, resources, community-based programming, and advocacy.

Plan Institute also offers one-on-one support through their free Canada-wide Disability Planning Helpline.

Their key areas of focus include the Disability Tax Credit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan, and the Canada Disability Benefit.

Click below for more information.

Plan Institute is a non-profit that works to empower people with disabilities to lead a good life through education, projects and advocating for policy reform.