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Capturing Essence for Care: Life Stories, Creativity and Meaningful Living
What if healthcare teams knew what lights you up?
Capturing Essence for Care celebrates the everyday moments, passions, and stories that make us who we are—right now, while we're living fully.
This podcast explores the many ways we can capture and express our essence: through storytelling, photography, video, music, autobiography, meaningful conversations, creative arts and more. We talk with artists, musicians, storytellers, people living vibrant lives, and experts who help preserve stories. Along the way, we discover how engaging with our creativity and stories isn't just about preservation—it's about nurturing our overall health and wellbeing in the present moment.
Why "for Care"?
Because life is unpredictable. When we eventually need healthcare support—whether for ourselves or loved ones—having our essence captured means care teams can see us as whole people, not just patients. They'll know what brings us joy, what matters most to us, and how to connect with who we truly are.
This podcast is for:
- Anyone who wants to preserve what makes them uniquely themselves
- People curious about life story work, personal history, and creative expression
- Those who believe our identities matter throughout our entire lives
- DIY-ers looking to learn how to capture stories themselves
- Professionals interested in person-centered approaches
- Anyone inspired by hearing how others capture and share their essence
Join host Lisa Joworski
Lisa is a Recreation and Life Story Resource specialist who brings together storytellers, artists, musicians, advocates, people living with dementia, healthcare practitioners, and life story experts. Each conversation offers insights and practical approaches for the beautiful ways we can honour our own stories and the stories of those we love—not just for memory's sake, but for the fullness of living and for the care we may one day need.
Connect with Lisa:
- Email: awestruckaspirations@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/AWEStruckAspirations
- Etsy Shop: etsy.com/ca/shop/AwestruckAspirations
New episodes release every other week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation!
Capturing Essence for Care: Life Stories, Creativity and Meaningful Living
6. Why Baby Boomers Aren't Preparing for Aging (And How Person-Centred Care Can Help)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The oldest Baby Boomers will turn 80 in just four years, yet most aren't preparing for aging. Why do we avoid these crucial conversations?
In this episode, I explore the gap between our aging reality and our readiness, drawing from research showing Baby Boomers' underestimated impact on society and healthcare. We'll discuss how stigma prevents preparation, the cost of not having these conversations, and why person-centred care approaches can help us feel more at ease with aging.
You'll learn:
- Why Baby Boomers aren't preparing for their care needs
- How person-centred conversations can break through aging stigma
- The importance of sharing what matters to you before you need care
- Tools to start meaningful conversations about aging and personhood
Perfect for healthcare providers, families, and anyone wanting to approach aging with intention and dignity.
Resources mentioned:
- Boomers' Readiness For Aging (Ontario Long Term Care Association)
- Person-Centred Care Guideline (Cancer Care Ontario)
- Capturing Essence digital story
- Conversation Q Cards and Personhood Template (Etsy Canada)
What is Person-Centred care and why is it important to understand? Join me as I break down what this means and why it's so important to have meaningful conversations with the ones we love.
Links and resources mentioned:
- Boomers' Readiness For Aging (Ontario Long Term Care Association)
- Person-Centred Care Guideline (Cancer Care Ontario)
- See my own digital story called: Capturing Essence
- Conversation Q Cards on Etsy Canada
- Personhood Template on Etsy Canada
Thank you for listening!
Do you have a question or a topic related to "capturing essence for care" that you would like discussed on the podcast?
Email: awestruckaspirations@gmail.com
Or use the "Send us Fan Mail" link at the top of the Episode Description to text the show!
Interested in learning more?
Intro and outro music with thanks: Upbeat and Sweet No Strings by Musictown
Lisa brings over 25 years of experience working in healthcare settings with older adults. The perspectives shared on this podcast are her own and do not represent the views of any past or current employer. Patient/resident stories are shared only with explicit permission or as anonymized composites for educational purposes.
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