When a parent is diagnosed with dementia a dynamic change takes place. Children become caregivers. “You end up co-parenting with people you never thought you’d co-parent with,” says Margaret referring to her two brothers. Margaret’s mom, Sarah, is a resident at Richmond Care Home, a 16-bed home in Richmond Ontario for women with dementia.

A big part of life is the expectations we have for it. We expect different phases to play out a certain way. “Like any relationship there are so many unexpected phases you go through, and I’m so grateful for all of them,” says Margaret. “It’s another phase. There’s no other choice for me than to look at as an opportunity…for time.”

“With dementia it’s a different way of being…the meaning comes at that moment when you’re both out for a walk. If you’re looking for the same poigniancy from the same moments at other times they won’t be there. What’s nice is that there’s plenty of them.”

“We liked this place. There aren’t too many like it.” We liked that it’s small, that it’s homelike. Her happiness is intertwined with her happiness so we’re all in it together.”

To learn more about Richmond Care Home, click here or contact info@carefor.ca