Show Notes
Ontario is home to more than 330,000 people living with dementia today, a number expected to reach one million within a generation. Behind these staggering statistics are real people navigating profound changes in cognition, communication, and identity.
This episode brings together two experts in medicine and compassionate care to illustrate how Ontario’s long‑term care sector can honour the person first, always. Dr. Sophiya Benjamin, Associate Professor at McMaster University and Schlegel Chair for Mental Health in Aging, and Co‑Founder of GeriMedRisk. Adria Thompson, speech‑language pathologist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Be Light Care - the largest dementia education platform on social media.
This is a conversation about shifting from a medical lens to a human one, and about the powerful partnership between clinical expertise and compassionate communication that supports people living with dementia every day.
This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, ARJO.
Resources mentioned in this episode: The Dementia Care App (coming soon), created by Adria Thompson, will provide instant access to more than 500 short, practical, easy-to-implement videos, all from the convenience of your smartphone. Whether you're a care partner at home or leading a care team, you can access fast, evidence-based support in the moments that matter. Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario offers programs and services to help people living with dementia, care partners and healthcare professionals get the support they need. Research Institute for Aging connects research to the real world and tackle the biggest issues facing an aging population, helping to change the way we age in Canada. McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) works to optimize the health and longevity of Canada’s aging population through leading-edge research, education and stakeholder collaboration. Explore their network of resources from the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal, the Voice community engagement network for research on aging, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and more
More from Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population
Canada is aging, and that asks all of us to think differently about care, our communities and what it truly means to age well. Season 6 of Coming of Age brings researchers, policy leaders, residents and families into conversation about the choices, practical ideas and lived experiences shaping the future of aging and care.
Care doesn’t start with policy — it starts with people.
Five years ago, Coming of Age launched during a global pandemic that exposed deep fractures in how we care for older adults. For this milestone episode, host Donna Duncan reunites with our very first guest, award-winning journalist and author Moira Welsh to reflect on progress, persistent challenges and the future of aging in Ontario.
In long-term care, the workforce is the heart of every home. When we invest in long-term care as essential economic infrastructure, we not only provide compassionate care, we also strengthen Ontario’s GDP, create recession-proof jobs and provide reliable support for our aging population.
Primary care is often called the heartbeat of healthcare, and in Ontario’s rural and northern communities, it’s a lifeline. As more than half of long-term care spaces await redevelopment, local care teams are stepping up with new ideas and strong collaboration to help older adults age with dignity and connection. In this episode, host Donna Duncan speaks with 3 inspiring women who are reshaping seniors’ care from the ground up: