A Place We Can Make Home: Western Canada’s Story

So as everybody knows, our season right now is we're talking about what Eden looks like and what healthcare looks like in different parts of the world.

And you guys have been working really hard in Western Canada to bring the Eden Alternative to life and meshing it in with the healthcare system.

So Cheryl, maybe I'll ask you first, how is aging viewed in Western Canada? Yeah.

Well, I thought quite a bit about this and I think likely quite similar to many places in the world.

I think some of the things that some of our greatest challenges are ageism and ableism and As we teach in the Eden philosophy, those are such a major part of the problem of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.

And of course, I think there's many really positive things about aging in Canada, and being leaders in the work that we do, we'd like it to be better.

And it's sort of what keeps the passion going is wanting to make it better.

So, yeah, I don't think it is so different.

What do you think, Sue Ellen?

Yeah, I think that we have a lot of things in common with other countries around the world.

But one of the really unique things about Canada is that because we have universal health care and public pensions, it means that no Canadian seniors go bankrupt getting old.

And I think that that's a pretty major accomplishment in our country.

And Our healthcare is given to the provinces.

We have 10 provinces and two territories.

But there are some universal things that bind healthcare throughout Canada.

But, you know, we kind of solved the access problem.

But I don't think we solve the quality of life problem.

And so I think that's the piece that is really missing.

And that's the piece that, you know, all of us with the Eden Alternative choose to work on.

Because as Cheryl says, you know, the ageism and the ableism is alive and well.

And we really need to, you know, move out of this institutional model, which is prevalent in Canada everywhere.

Still, you know, it's a hard thing to change.

But that's what the Eden Alternative really does.

It helps people to change out of that model into a place we can make home and really solve that quality of life.

issue that people in Canada face.