blueBell Village – Restoring the Personhood and Independence of those living with dementia™

Featured By

global-edmonton3209.logowik.com-252129583

Proudly Supporting Canadian Caregivers Near You!

Don’t see your city here?

No problem. blueBell Connect is built to support caregivers across Canada. If there is interest in your community, we are ready to grow with you. Let us know where you are and how we can help bring better care coordination to your city.

Proudly Hosting The Dementia Collective Podcast!

YouTube Video UExxYWcwUU01bW5IaEN3dFNkQ21kOUFFTE1FYUtYSHM2SC4yQkQ3QUY2RTlGRjM3MTJE

Private video

What if Hollywood’s dementia problem is not just what it shows, but what it leaves out?

In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with filmmaker, writer, director, producer, and caregiver advocate Susie Singer Carter to explore dementia, storytelling, long-term care, and the responsibility that comes with representing people who are too often misunderstood.

Susie shares the story of caring for her mother, Norma, who lived with Alzheimer’s for 16 years, and how that experience shaped her Oscar-qualified short film My Mom and the Girl. The film was inspired by one extraordinary night in her mother’s life, a night filled with confusion, music, humour, tenderness, and unexpected connection.

Together, Andrew and Susie discuss what it means to tell a dementia story with dignity. How much should be shared? Where is the line between honesty and exploitation? And how can filmmakers show the truth of dementia without reducing someone to their diagnosis?

The conversation also moves into Susie’s documentary series No Country for Old People, which was born from her mother’s final months in long-term care. After her mother suffered neglect in a highly rated facility, Susie began uncovering a much larger crisis around staffing, accountability, ageism, and the way vulnerable residents can disappear inside broken systems.

Andrew and Susie also examine dementia representation in Hollywood. They discuss why some portrayals feel authentic, why others can mislead, and how aging is too often turned into a caricature. Susie challenges the entertainment industry to tell better stories, not just more dramatic ones.

This is a conversation about caregiving, advocacy, stigma, film, and the fight to keep people with dementia visible, valued, and human.

In this episode:
• How Susie’s caregiving journey shaped My Mom and the Girl
• Why ethical storytelling matters in dementia representation
• The line between honesty and exploitation
• How music helped reconnect Susie’s mother to herself
• What Hollywood gets wrong about aging and dementia
• Why some dementia stories can reinforce stigma
• The long-term care crisis behind No Country for Old People
• How neglect, understaffing, and ageism shape care
• Why caregivers need better information before crisis moments
• How storytelling can expose harm, preserve dignity, and push for reform

Whether you are a caregiver, advocate, filmmaker, healthcare worker, or someone trying to understand dementia beyond stereotypes, this conversation asks us to look more carefully at the stories we tell, the people we overlook, and the systems we allow to continue.

Learn more at:⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluebellvillage.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠https://www.gogirlmedia.com/
My Mom and The Girl: https://vimeo.com/266772460

———

Join The Village and help shape conversations like this by submitting questions to our guests: https://www.patreon.com/cw/blueBellVillage

———

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or treatment. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Andrew Karesa, blueBell Village Ltd., or any of its employees, contractors, or team members.

1:23:20

YouTube Video UExxYWcwUU01bW5IaEN3dFNkQ21kOUFFTE1FYUtYSHM2SC4xNjFBQzY0OEY1QzAxNjJE

Inside the Broken System Destroying Elderly Lives (with Susie Singer Carter) | EP38

We recently learned of Cindy Diogo’s passing, and it felt important to acknowledge that here.

Cindy was doing meaningful work for caregivers and families, and that comes through so clearly in this conversation. She brought insight, honesty, and a real sense of purpose to this topic, and we are grateful we had the chance to share her voice on The Dementia Collective.

We know some of you may come across this episode and want to reach out to her or learn more about her work, so we wanted to add this note with care. We are holding her family, friends, and community in our thoughts.

If you would like to support Cindy’s family, you can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cindy-diogokociuba

———

In this episode, ⁠Andrew Karesa⁠ sits down with ⁠Cindy Diogo⁠, CEO and Co-Founder of ConSoul, to explore what it means to support employees who are caring for a loved one living with dementia. Drawing on her background in HR and People & Culture, as well as her own family caregiving journey, Cindy reflects on the growing reality that more families are trying to navigate dementia care while still holding down a job.

Together, Andrew and Cindy talk about the specific pressures dementia creates for working caregivers. They discuss the long arc of increasing care needs, the challenge of coordinating appointments and support, the emotional strain of watching a loved one decline, and the reality that many people are trying to manage all of it quietly while remaining “productive” at work.

Cindy also shares how her own family experiences, including her grandmother’s advanced vascular dementia, shaped her understanding of care and helped lead her to build ConSoul. The conversation explores what employers often miss about dementia caregiving, why flexibility matters, and how current systems still leave too many families feeling unsupported and alone.

This is a conversation about dementia, work, and the invisible weight so many caregivers carry every day.

In this episode:
• What makes dementia caregiving different in the workplace
• Why increasing care needs create growing pressure on families
• How Cindy’s family experience with dementia shaped her work
• What employers often misunderstand about dementia caregivers
• Why flexibility matters for families navigating appointments and care
• What resources caregivers may already have access to
• Why many caregivers still hide their reality at work
• What needs to change as more families face dementia at home

Whether you are supporting someone living with dementia, trying to balance care with work, or wanting to build better systems around families, this episode offers an honest look at what caregivers are carrying and what real support can look like.

Learn more at:
⁠https://www.bluebellvillage.ca⁠
⁠https://www.consoulapp.com⁠

———

Join The Village and help shape conversations like this by submitting questions to our guests: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/blueBellVillage⁠

———

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or treatment. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Andrew Karesa, blueBell Village Ltd., or any of its employees, contractors, or team members.

1:20:30

YouTube Video UExxYWcwUU01bW5IaEN3dFNkQ21kOUFFTE1FYUtYSHM2SC5DRDZEMDAwRUY1NTJCODA1

The Growing Pressure on Working Caregivers (with Cindy Diogo) | EP37

Load More… Subscribe

Want more informative and impactful demetia content? Check out The Dementia Collective for more information.