5.13 Do with not for: social capital trumps material wealth when care is needed
If the best you can do, isn't good enough - if the best laid plans and all the services and programs Canada's healthcare system boasts don't add up to what you know you'd need - what do you do?
I reflect on the challenges to providing care, and preparing to possibly need care, right now, here - in the wake of my weeks in frank and vulnerable conversations with Caregivers to people with Dementia.
That's who I was honoured to meet and listen to, all so glad of my Mom's memoir of caring for my Step-Dad, and of the spaces she is creating to share her experience as she travels across Canada right now.
The good news is, the actions you can take that will serve you best should you need care as a person with Dementia, are good things to do even if that is not a part of your future.
The bad news is - they don't come easy!
Referencing:
Dementia Widow: A Memoir About Love, Death, and Survival by Fay Martin (Iguana Books, 2026)
The Green Care Farm Mom that gave Mom her three rules of great Dementia care (and for a great life):
- Do with not for
- Joy & Purpose every day
- Live until you die
The five stages of Alzheimer's disease according to the Alzheimer's Society
Increasing footage per person in Canadian homes: https://www.darrinqualman.com/house-size/
Importance of Social Connection, and current Canadian stats on them: https://horizons.service.canada.ca/en/2023/02/22/exploring-change-in-social-connection/
