“Let’s Talk—The Care-Years… Taking Care Of Our Parents/Planning For Ourselves”
(ISBN # 0-9782215-0-8)

 Patty, an only child, chronicled her family’s 10-year care-journey, when her aging parents’ health propelled her unprepared into the caregiver role. As a result of their roller-coaster experiences, organizationally, emotionally and financially, and because the risks are so great to a family, she remains convinced that Canadians must now begin taking an active interest in, talking openly about and planning well-in-advance for that silent, less-than-glamorous part of our lives, which she calls ‘our care-years’.

 This NEW extensive (600+ page) up-to-date guidebook provides detailed, step-by-step suggestions on the key-care-related topics, which a daughter-son-spouse-senior may be tackling now - or will later have to handle during this stage in their own or loved one’s lives. It also offers thought-provoking planning strategies, relevant news articles, resources for family use, amazing seniors’ stories, as well as health hints and entertaining anecdotes on the family’s successes and frustrations, as they went through scores of caregivers, navigated our complex health system, cried buckets of tears, agonized over various physical and mental health conditions, confronted unexpected crises, and constantly scrambled to pay shocking care-related costs, month by month, year after year.

Patty is an “edu-taining” national speaker and author on care-giving; the costs of care for families; government programs and services offered in each of our provinces and territories; the aging trends in our
country impacting adult Canadians’ current lifestyles and retirements, and the everyday changes we all have to face to accommodate living longer. Her message: long-term care can be rewarding for both caregivers and care-receivers, if we plan now…no surprises…please!

“…I am already convinced that your book should be mandatory reading for every adult in Canada and CERTAINLY everyone in any position in our Health System and our Federal and Provincial Governments”