Most people avoid thinking about Alzheimer’s until it touches their own lives. Hon. Lisa Raitt once felt that fear herself. But when her husband, Bruce Wood, was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s at 56, she was forced to confront the disease, gaps in Canada’s dementia care system, and realities families often navigate alone.

In this candid conversation with Teri Hart, Lisa shares the path from Bruce’s diagnosis to becoming an advocate for people living with dementia and their caregivers. She opens up about seeking a second opinion, managing escalating symptoms, and facing a reality rarely discussed openly: the violence some caregivers experience when dementia alters the behaviour of someone they love.

Lisa recounts the moment she realized that she and her teenage sons were no longer safe, the struggle to find Bruce appropriate medical support, and the painful acceptance that he could no longer live at home. She also explains why she publicly shared videos from some of the most frightening moments of their lives. What began as a need to be seen became a way to challenge stigma and reach isolated caregivers.

Lisa and Teri also explore why caregivers need support separate from the medical care provided to their loved ones, and how grief, guilt, anger, exhaustion, fear, and love can exist at once. Lisa reflects on what she wishes she had done sooner to protect her mental health and why friends should keep showing up, even when a caregiver pulls away.

Now a member of the Ontario Dementia Task Force, Lisa is pushing for a more coordinated approach to dementia care and a clearer path from diagnosis through treatment, community support, crisis care, and long-term care.

This episode of The Hart of It All is essential listening for anyone caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia, supporting a caregiver, or working to improve the systems families depend on. It is an honest look at what caregiving demands and why families should not have to face it alone.

Resources:

Learn more about The Ontario Dementia Task Force:

https://alzheimer.ca/on/sites/on/files/documents/new-task-force-to-develop-roadmap-for-dementia.pdf

Learn more about the Vulnerable Persons Registry (also available in areas outside of Toronto):

https://www.tps.ca/services/vulnerable-persons-registry/

Follow Hon. Lisa Raitt:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaraittmp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisaraitt2019

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lisa-raitt

To watch this episode, subscribe to The Hart Of It All's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHartofitAllPod

Follow The Hart Of It All:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehartofitallpod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehartofitallpod

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehartofitallpod

Website: https://www.thehartofitall.ca/

Follow Teri Hart:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terihart

Co-Executive Produced by: Carrie Hayden & Jess Carroll of 6of1 Digital

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/6of1digital

Website: https://www.6of1digital.com/

I’m here to share stories and conversations, not medical or professional advice. I’m not a doctor, therapist, or licensed professional, and this podcast is NOT a substitute for guidance from qualified experts. Please seek out professional support when you need it. Take care and I’ll see you in the next episode.

-

🟡 About The Hart of it All

A podcast about navigating the realities of caregiving.

No one should have to do it alone. That’s the heart behind The Hart of It All, hosted by Canadian broadcaster Teri Hart. Inspired by her own experience caring for her dad and helping her mom navigate a new reality, Teri shines a light on the stories, resources, and conversations caregivers need most.

From doctors and nutritionists to fellow caregivers living it every day, each episode offers guidance and connection. Honest, supportive, and grounded in lived experience, The Hart of It All is here to remind us that caring for each other is something we’re all in together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caregivers are doing some of the most important work in our society, yet so many are doing it unpaid, unsupported, and without even realizing that “caregiver” is the word for what they have become.

On this episode of The Hart of It All, host Teri Hart welcomes back CareYaya CEO Neal K. Shah to talk about the viral conversations that have struck a nerve with caregivers across North America. After his first appearance sparked a huge response online, Neal returns to dig deeper into why caregiving feels so invisible, why the healthcare system often fails to recognize it, and what caregivers actually need to feel supported.

Together, Teri and Neal unpack the difference between parenting and illness-based caregiving, why so many people caring for aging parents, spouses, or loved ones with dementia or cancer keep their struggles private, and how the lack of recognition can affect everything from work to mental health to long-term financial stability.

Neal also shares what he is hearing from caregivers through his work at CareYaya and from his growing online community, where his candid takes on unpaid caregiving, caregiver burnout, and the hidden cost of care have resonated with millions.

This episode is for you if you are caring for a parent, spouse, family member, or friend and have ever felt like the system does not see what you are carrying. It is a frank, validating conversation about why caregiving deserves more recognition, more infrastructure, and more support.

Neal Shah is the founder of CareYaya, a care innovation platform focused on scalable solutions that support caregivers and improve care quality. His work, recognized by institutions like Johns Hopkins, is helping reshape how we approach aging and care.

Resources:

Visit the CareYaya Website:

https://www.careyaya.org/

Access CareYaya's "Yaya Guide":

https://www.careyaya.org/yayaguide

Follow Neal Shah:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nealkshah

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nealkshah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nealkshahcareyaya/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-shah-careyaya

To watch this episode, subscribe to The Hart Of It All's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHartofitAllPod

Follow The Hart Of It All:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehartofitallpod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehartofitallpod

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehartofitallpod

Website: https://www.thehartofitall.ca/

Follow Teri Hart:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terihart

Co-Executive Produced by: Carrie Hayden & Jess Carroll of 6of1 Digital

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/6of1digital

Website: https://www.6of1digital.com/

I’m here to share stories and conversations, not medical or professional advice. I’m not a doctor, therapist, or licensed professional, and this podcast is NOT a substitute for guidance from qualified experts. Please seek out professional support when you need it. Take care and I’ll see you in the next episode.

-

🟡 About The Hart of it All

A podcast about navigating the realities of caregiving.

No one should have to do it alone. That’s the heart behind The Hart of It All, hosted by Canadian broadcaster Teri Hart. Inspired by her own experience caring for her dad and helping her mom navigate a new reality, Teri shines a light on the stories, resources, and conversations caregivers need most.

From doctors and nutritionists to fellow caregivers living it every day, each episode offers guidance and connection. Honest, supportive, and grounded in lived experience, The Hart of It All is here to remind us that caring for each other is something we’re all in together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the emergency room reveal about the future of care in Canada?

In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart sits down with Dr. Brian Goldman, emergency physician, author, and longtime healthcare advocate, to talk about what Canada’s overwhelmed ERs are telling us about the deeper cracks in our healthcare system.

Drawing from his book The Casino Shift, Dr. Goldman explains how hospital overcrowding, long-term care waitlists, primary care shortages, and a lack of home care support are all connected. For caregivers, those cracks are not abstract. They show up when an aging parent waits for hours in an emergency room, when a loved one with dementia has nowhere to go, when a small-town hospital is forced to close, or when family members are sent home expected to manage medical tasks they were never trained to do.

Teri and Dr. Goldman also explore what Canada could learn from countries like Denmark, where nearly everyone has access to a family doctor and after-hours care is built into the system. They talk about the risks and realities of private healthcare, why small community hospitals matter so much, how technology and AI may change medicine, and why empathy still has a critical role in healthcare.

This conversation is for caregivers, healthcare workers, families with aging loved ones, and anyone worried about the future of healthcare in Canada. It is a clear-eyed look at a system under pressure, but also a reminder that better care is possible if we are willing to rethink how the system works.

--

Resources:

Read Dr. Brian Goldman's new book, "The Casino Shift":

https://www.indigo.ca/products/the-casino-shift

https://www.amazon.ca/Casino-Shift-Stories-ER-Edge/dp/1443473588

Follow Dr. Brian Goldman:

X/Twitter: https://x.com/NightShiftMD

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/casinoshiftmd.bsky.social

To watch this episode, subscribe to The Hart Of It All's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHartofitAllPod

Follow The Hart Of It All:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehartofitallpod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehartofitallpod

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehartofitallpod

Website: https://www.thehartofitall.ca/

Follow Teri Hart:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terihart

Co-Executive Produced by: Carrie Hayden & Jess Carroll of 6of1 Digital

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/6of1digital

Website: https://www.6of1digital.com/

I’m here to share stories and conversations, not medical or professional advice. I’m not a doctor, therapist, or licensed professional, and this podcast is NOT a substitute for guidance from qualified experts. Please seek out professional support when you need it. Take care and I’ll see you in the next episode.

__

🟡 About The Hart of it All

A podcast about navigating the realities of caregiving.

No one should have to do it alone. That’s the heart behind The Hart of It All, hosted by Canadian broadcaster Teri Hart. Inspired by her own experience caring for her dad and helping her mom navigate a new reality, Teri shines a light on the stories, resources, and conversations caregivers need most.

From doctors and nutritionists to fellow caregivers living it every day, each episode offers guidance and connection. Honest, supportive, and grounded in lived experience, The Hart of It All is here to remind us that caring for each other is something we’re all in together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.