Capturing Essence for Care
Capturing Essence for Care
Podcast Description
Capturing Essence for Care focuses on the importance of incorporating personal life stories into health care and through each episode, Lisa invites guests and listeners to share their ideas and insights from their own experiences. We dive into various ways we can capture our own essence and have meaningful conversations about all types of storytelling methods, including through writing, video, voice, visuals and so much more! Join Lisa for solo episodes and interviews with diverse storytellers including personal historians, digital storytellers, guided autobiography instructors, healthcare practitioners among many others.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into personal narratives, care transformations, and storytelling methodologies with specific episodes exploring topics like the impact of sharing life stories on dementia care and techniques for guided autobiography, emphasizing the exploratory nature of personal histories.
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: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/AWEStruckAspirations
- Etsy Shop: etsy.com/ca/shop/AwestruckAspirations
New episodes release every other week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation!
Episode Description
In this season finale, I'm joined by Beth Fitzmaurice, whose caregiving story became a digital story transforming how McCormick Dementia Services trains staff and supports caregivers. Beth shares what it was like to care for her mom 24/7 for five years, how digital storytelling helped her find purpose after loss, and why she went from isolated to advocate. This conversation shows how one five-minute video can create ripples of impact far beyond what we imagine.
Key Takeaways
• How Beth and Lisa co-created a five-minute video now used for staff training, board orientation, and caregiver support groups
• Why simple details—a singing video, a photo showing humor, knowing someone was an x-ray tech—transform care
• The isolation of 24/7 caregiving and how sharing her story helped Beth realize she did the best she could
• Privacy decisions: What Beth shared publicly (Scrabble tiles, family photos) versus kept private (hospital videos)
• McCormick's village approach: Day programs, nurses, social workers, and spa services that enabled home care
• From farewell speech to Calgary Story Slam: How ”a journey only love can navigate” resonated with audiences
• The therapeutic power of admitting publicly ”I keep thinking I didn't do all I could”
• Finding a video of her mom singing after her death—and wishing she'd shared it with care staff sooner
Links & Resources Mentioned
- Watch the digital story, LOVE 'D'
- Common Language Story Slam
- ”The Caregiver's Journey” – Beth's story featured in Western Universtiy Alumni Magazine (Spring/Summer 2025 issue on aging and caregiving)
- Previous episode reference: Episode 5 with Kristy Wolfe – where Beth's story was first mentioned
- McCormick Dementia Services (London, Ontario) – Providing day programs, education, support groups, counselling, and specialized care for persons with dementia and their care partners
Featured Guest
Beth Fitzmaurice cared for her mother 24/7 for five years following her 2019 dementia diagnosis. Her letter of gratitude to McCormick became a digital story featured at Calgary's Digital Story Slam, used for training at McCormick, published in Western University's Alumni Magazine, and shared in support groups.
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? Text the show using the link above or send Lisa an email: [email protected]
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.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
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