Sharon Speevak is the youngest of five children born in Montreal to Robert Speevak. Robert was a second-generation Ukrainian immigrant and trained as a navigator during the Second World War. As a child, he took her to a park and they laid on a blanket while he taught her the constellations. His knowledge and impeccable values shaped the person Sharon became and she cherished the time she spent learning from him under the stars.

When Robert was diagnosed with dementia, Sharon and her siblings began learning all they could about the disease. “Our initial reaction was to go out and learn more,” Sharon says. “We went into problem solving mode, getting books and pamphlets on Alzheimer’s disease like we were going to fix it.”

Sharon, who had moved to Nanaimo, connected with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. for support and education. Her sister, who lived in Ottawa, became Robert’s primary caregiver. Sharon flew out twice a year to help provide support.

“Not being there is horrible,” she says. “Not only did I have the guilt of not providing direct care to my father, but not being there to support my sister. You’re supporting two people—the person living with dementia and the primary caregiver.”

Years after her father passed away, Sharon chose to turn her experience into an opportunity to help educate and support others who were embarking on their own dementia journeys. Sharon connected with the Nanaimo branch of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and was trained to provide dementia education sessions, as well as facilitate caregiver support groups.
 

“You can’t go back and change the past, but you can change the future in providing support for others,” she says. “Looking back and guilting yourself isn’t helping anyone – learn about the disease, get out there and make life better for caregivers and people experiencing dementia.”

Sharon now considers it an enormous privilege to volunteer with people who chose to join a support group or education workshop at such a challenging stage in their lives.

“I’m continually amazed at the resilience, strength and love of caregivers,” she says of the caregiver support group participants she spends time with. “They make incredible sacrifices for their loved ones. It’s a wonderful feeling to feel like you’ve made someone’s life a little more bearable, both for themselves and for the person experiencing dementia, by helping to facilitate a support group or deliver an educational workshop.”