Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to give you all an update on the
Canadian Eldercare Roadmap Initiative, the project that I started in 2021.
In 2020, I saw a problems in the eldercare system through my experience
caring for my parents, which was essentially the genesis for this project.
Little did I know that my mother would end up in the hospital shortly
after, in the fall of 2021. At that point, I had interviews lined up until
the beginning of 2022, but the stress of what my mother was going through
while taking care of my father, who also has dementia, was too great. I
canceled the interviews, but vowed to come back stronger the next year. As
2022 arrived, my mother’s health declined rapidly and I put all my energy
towards her and my father. Sadly, she passed earlier in the year, of
Alzheimer’s, and it took the wind completely out of my sails. I had no time
to mourn as my father needed a lot of attention and I felt I had to support
him in his grief after he lost his wife of 60+ years. I tried to come back
to the project time and time again, but I had no mental or physical energy
for it, even though it meant so much to me.
It’s only recently that I’ve felt that I was ready to resume the project.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve done a little catching up on the
eldercare system. While there have been some changes, I’m not sure how much
of a real impact it’s had on the eldercare community. There has been a
shift in policy and law regarding eldercare, mostly driven by the
unfortunate events of the pandemic; however, I fear most of it is smoke and
mirrors used to drive political careers and financial gains. I've also
taken the time to review all the interview notes and slowly came to the
conclusion that the project should concentrate on actually building a
roadmap rather than continuing the interviews. My intention is to use my
experience as the backbone of the roadmap and build from there. I feel this
is where it could have the most direct impact and be independent of the
politics of the healthcare system. Whether that roadmap turns into an
informational website, podcast, or social media channel, I’m not sure yet,
but it will take a form that is easily digestible and accessible for
caregivers and the elderly.
I’m sharing this personal information with you because you all shared
personal and professional information with me. The fact that you all took
time to speak with me meant very much to me, so I didn’t want you to think
that that the time you spent talking with me was in vain. The information
you shared will help build that backbone and has inspired me to move
forward even after all this difficult time. I want to thank all of you for
speaking with me about the system, what could change, and the issues that
affect all those involved. As promised, all information and the people will
remain confidential. If you have any questions or feedback don't hesitate
to contact me.
Thank you all so much,
Sebastien Saykowski
The Canadian Eldercare Roadmap Initiative
514-236-2187
eldercareroadmap.ca <http://www.eldercareroadmap.ca/>
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastiensaykowski/>
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