Does her name sound familiar? Audrey was 57 years old when she died last month, by her own choice and with medical assistance. She had been diagnosed 2 years earlier with incurable cancer and had chosen to die on her own terms- except she really didn’t. In her own words: “people like me are dying earlier than necessary because of this poorly thought out law” which requires the ‘suffering person….
Remembering Audrey Parker Continue Reading »
In the NewsMy fellow bloggers and I write frequently about Powers of Attorney, however my concerns are often focused on the lack of planning when it comes to making Powers of Attorney for both Personal Care and Property. More specifically, although I do not have any statistical data, my subject matter experience tells me that people are more likely to have an attorney named solely for property than having both or only….
November is ‘ get your stuff’ together! Continue Reading »
Power of Attorney
The Change Foundation just published their findings on Ontario Caregivers- a fitting reflection for National Caregiving Awareness month. I have summarized some of their key findings based on a study involving 800 respondents across Ontario: – Canadian family caregivers provide roughly ¾ of all patient care and their contributions to the healthcare system was estimated at 25 billion per year. – Caregivers spend on average 11-30 hours of care per….
Shining a Spotlight on (Ontario) Caregivers Continue Reading »
Caregiving, Elder Care
November is Make a Will month in Ontario; National Diabetes month and National Family Caregivers month in the States; Osteoporosis awareness month in Canada, and Movember for men’s health awareness. However most fitting for today is Remembrance Day, symbolized by the poppy. Remembrance Day is a significant day in the lives of many who endured the challenges of living during war times. As benefactors of their sacrifice, we sometimes forget….
November is…….. Continue Reading »
Elder CareFurther to my last week’s blog on ‘getting ready for the final scene’, my lovely 94 year old client died this past Saturday. I really can’t say it was a peaceful death as it seemed to be a very long and difficult journey. She could no longer eat or drink and as she was only 90 pounds when she entered the hospital, she seemed to have shrunk considerably. She could….
The Final Goodbye Continue Reading »
CaregivingWhile the majority of my work is assisting with the living process, these past few week has been occupied with planning for the dying process. I am currently working with two wonderful ladies who have both been assigned palliative care physicians. One who is lucky enough to be home and the other is currently in the hospital. One had been recovering from a catastrophic stroke and was sent home and….
Getting Ready for the Final Scene Continue Reading »
Elder Care