The Hart Of It All with Teri Hart

Caregivers are doing some of the most important work in our society, yet so many are doing it unpaid, unsupported, and without even realizing that “caregiver” is the word for what they have become. On this episode of The Hart of It All, host Teri Hart welcomes back CareYaya CEO Neal K. Shah to talk about the viral conversations that have struck a nerve with caregivers across North America. After h...

What does the emergency room reveal about the future of care in Canada? In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart sits down with Dr. Brian Goldman, emergency physician, author, and longtime healthcare advocate, to talk about what Canada’s overwhelmed ERs are telling us about the deeper cracks in our healthcare system. Drawing from his book The Casino Shift, Dr. Goldman explains how hospital...

The hidden crisis in Canadian seniors' care: why so many wait in limbo and how for-profit chains profit at their expense Imagine a system where 70% of long-term care homes are owned by private corporations, yet they profit from taxpayer dollars meant for vulnerable seniors. Meanwhile, over 50,000 Ontarians await a spot in these facilities, living in hospitals, transitional units, or at home, often...

What does meaningful support look like when someone’s life has changed overnight? In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart sits down with Catherine Wreford, Broadway performer, Amazing Race Canada winner, brain cancer advocate, mother, and someone who knows what it means to both support others and receive support herself. Catherine was diagnosed with brain cancer at 32, just weeks after gi...

The housing crisis can feel especially frightening for senior women living alone. With rising rents, limited pension income, and few affordable options, the question of where and how to live can become urgent very quickly. In this episode, Teri Hart speaks with Pat Dunn, founder of Senior Women Living Together, about her own experience facing housing insecurity and the community-based solution she...

The financial side of caregiving can feel overwhelming, especially when aging parents want to stay at home. But understanding the options early can bring clarity, relief, and a stronger sense of control. In the last episode, personal finance expert Rob Carrick walked through a practical financial checklist to help caregivers start important money conversations with aging parents. In Part 2 of his...

Money is one of the hardest parts of caregiving to talk about, but it is also one of the most important. In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart sits down with longtime personal finance expert Rob Carrick for part one of a two-part conversation about the financial realities of aging, caregiving, and planning for the future. From aging in place to retirement homes, long-term care, home equ...

Caregiving in Canada is not a private family issue. It is one of the biggest social, economic, and healthcare realities of our time. In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart speaks with Liv Mendelsohn, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, about CCCE’s newly released Caring in Canada report and what it reveals about the true state of care across the country....

A lot of people dealing with dementia caregiving quietly wonder: Is it supposed to feel this overwhelming? Troy McCallum understands the kind of exhaustion that comes from constantly being “on” for someone you love. As his mother’s dementia progressed, Troy found himself trying to manage everything at once: the confusion, the wandering, the emotional volatility, the constant fear that something co...

Caregiving is not just a personal challenge. It is quickly becoming one of the biggest healthcare issues of our time. On this episode of The Hart of It All, host Teri Hart sits down with Neal Shah, founder of CareYaya, to explore why caregiving needs to be treated as a core part of our healthcare system, not an afterthought. Neal shares his journey from hedge fund leader to caregiver advocate, and...

When it comes to caring for aging parents, siblings can be the hardest part. You might agree on everything for years, and then suddenly you’re facing decisions about care, money, or where your parent should live and nothing feels simple anymore. Old dynamics resurface, tensions build, and conversations that should bring you together can start to pull you apart. In this episode of The Hart of It Al...

What if saying goodbye felt more like a celebration than a loss? Teri sits down with wedding and event planner Trevor Frankfort to explore how we can rethink end-of-life gatherings in a way that feels personal, meaningful, and even uplifting. Instead of defaulting to tradition, Trevor shares how a celebration of life can reflect who someone truly was, from their favourite music and meals to the st...

Most people don’t realize how much caregiving reshapes you until you are living it. When sportscaster Evanka Osmak’s mother was diagnosed with ALS, everything changed quickly. What followed was a period of intense caregiving, difficult decisions, and the emotional weight of watching someone you love decline. In this episode, Evanka reflects on that time with honesty and clarity. She shares what it...

What if a TV show could actually change how we care for each other? In this special National Caregiver’s Day episode, The Pitt creator and showrunner R. Scott Gemmill joins Teri Hart for a powerful conversation about the real-world impact of one of television’s most talked-about medical dramas. Praised for its accuracy, The Pitt is built directly from the experiences of frontline healthcare worker...

Aging in place is something most Canadians want, but making it possible takes more than good intentions. In this practical and reassuring conversation, Teri Hart is joined by Deb Galet, President and CEO of Baycrest Hospital and Apotex Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged, to talk about what it really takes for older adults to live safely and independently at home. Drawing on her background as an occu...

Are you making the most of your doctor’s appointments as a caregiver? Or leaving with more questions than answers? Dr. Nadine Laraya, a Toronto-based family physician with over a decade of experience, shares what caregivers need to know about navigating the healthcare system, advocating for loved ones, and building stronger doctor-patient relationships. From how to prepare for medical appointments...

Taylor Kaye became a caregiver overnight when her husband, Greg, suffered a devastating stroke in 2022. In this deeply honest conversation with Teri Hart, she shares what it means to navigate life after a sudden stroke while also raising three daughters, working full time, and adjusting to the unexpected realities of becoming a family caregiver. Taylor opens up about the shock of those early hospi...

Jeanne Beker had just turned 70 and felt, in her own words, “invincible.” Weeks later, a routine mammogram revealed breast cancer. In this candid conversation with Teri Hart, Jeanne reflects on what it meant to suddenly become the person needing care after a lifetime of independence. She shares how the support of her husband Iain, her daughters, friends, and an outpouring of community helped carry...

Caregiving burnout isn’t just feeling tired. It’s a slow, chronic depletion that can quietly impact your mental clarity, physical health, and emotional resilience. In this episode, returning guest Alyson Schafer, parenting expert, family counsellor, and current caregiver, joins Teri to unpack what burnout really looks like for caregivers. They explore how love, duty, and guilt can blur the early w...

Most Canadians have heard about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), but what does it truly entail? Dr. Jean Marmoreo, one of Canada's first practitioners of MAiD, reveals how this groundbreaking program has evolved over nearly a decade and why it remains a vital part of end-of-life care. If you or loved ones face difficult choices or simply want a clearer understanding of how MAiD works, this epis...

When Cheryl Hickey’s father was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, her family was thrown into a world they were not prepared for. In this candid conversation, Cheryl shares the emotional and practical realities of caregiving for an aging parent navigating dementia and Parkinson’s disease, including the difficult decision to move him into long-term care. She reflects on caregiver guilt,...

Where we live as we age is one of the biggest decisions families face, and one of the most confusing. In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart is joined by elder-care expert Pat Irwin, president and founder of ElderCareCanada, to walk through the full spectrum of senior living options, from aging in place and naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs), to retirement communities, li...

Most people underestimate how deeply Parkinson’s disease reshapes identity, independence, and daily life. In this revealing episode, award-winning writer and journalist Marni Jackson shares her journey from diagnosis to redefining how she lives, including the unexpected ways she pushes back through boxing, mindfulness, and movement. Marni speaks candidly about living with an incurable disease, the...

Caring for someone living with dementia changes everything. In this episode of The Hart of It All, host Teri Hart sits down with Dr. Adriana Shnall, program director at the Baycrest Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Caregiving, to explore what caregivers are really carrying. Dr. Shnall shares why dementia caregiving is uniquely complex, touching on ambiguous loss, personality changes, repetitio...

In this deeply personal episode of The Hart of It All, host Teri Hart is joined by filmmaker and casting director Heidi Levitt, who shares her journey as a caregiver to her husband, Charlie Hess, following his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Heidi opens up about the emotional weight of caregiving, the shock and clarity that came with an early diagnosis, and how love and partnership evolve in...