The Four Walls of My Freedom

by Donna Thomson

  The trick to helping communities find their own answers to caring for their citizens is not in locating charismatic leaders, but in forming “leader-full” alliances of elected officials, bureaucrats, members of the medical community, caregivers and care receivers. Government resources should always cover those in need of acute care and the intensive nursing of long-term care patients. But the non-nursing care of an aging citizenry is a matter for all. John McKnight challenges us to think creatively about how to lead a good life, and to think beyond our own individual needs to create positive social change. Perhaps the looming urgency of sourcing assistance for a rapidly aging society will provoke us to co-create solutions involving all who wish to form a partnership of care. Our future wellbeing will depend on it.

  1 “Fact Sheet: Selected Caregiving Statistics,” Family Caregiver Alliance, accessed October 15, 2013, http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=439; Statistics Canada, “Study: Caregivers in Canada, 2012,” The Daily, September 10, 2013, accessed October 15, 2013, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130910/dq130910a-eng.htm.

  2 Richard Eisenberg and Gary Drevitch, “Long-Term Care Panel Chief Speaks About Looming Crisis,” Next Avenue, October 3, 2013, accessed October 15, 2013, http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2013-09/long-term-care-panel-chief-speaks-about-looming-crisis.

  3 Al Etmanski, “Quote,” email to Donna Thomson, September 29, 2013.

  4 Maire Sinha, “Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the General Social Survey — Portrait of Caregivers, 2012,” Statistics Canada, September 2013, accessed October 21, 2013, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2013001-eng.pdf.

  About the Author

  © Natalie Wright

  Donna Thomson began her career as an actor, director and teacher. But in 1988, when her son Nicholas was born with severe disabilities, Donna embarked on her second career as a disability activist, author and consultant. She is married to James Wright, the former High Commissioner for Canada in the UK. Their previous postings have been in London, Washington, DC, and Moscow. Jim and Donna have two children and live in Ottawa, Canada.

  About the Publisher

  House of Anansi Press was founded in 1967 with a mandate to publish Canadian-authored books, a mandate that continues to this day even as the list has branched out to include internationally acclaimed thinkers and writers. The press immediately gained attention for significant titles by notable writers such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, George Grant, and Northrop Frye. Since then, Anansi’s commitment to finding, publishing and promoting challenging, excellent writing has won it tremendous acclaim and solid staying power. Today Anansi is Canada’s pre-eminent independent press, and home to nationally and internationally bestselling and acclaimed authors such as Gil Adamson, Margaret Atwood, Ken Babstock, Peter Behrens, Rawi Hage, Misha Glenny, Jim Harrison, A. L. Kennedy, Pasha Malla, Lisa Moore, A. F. Moritz, Eric Siblin, Karen Solie, and Ronald Wright. Anansi is also proud to publish the award-winning nonfiction series The CBC Massey Lectures. In 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Anansi was honoured by the Canadian Booksellers Association as “Publisher of the Year.”