Achi news desk-
Cheryl Hickey and her mother are advocating for better home care for seniors. On Sunday, the former “ET Canada” host took to Instagram with a carousel of photos, starting with a snap of Thinking over matter the latest issue of the magazine with her and her mother, Lori Hickey, on the front cover.
In the cover photo, the Canadian TV host and her mother embraced in matching all-blue outfits in front of a matching blue backdrop. Cheryl shared an excerpt from the feature article about her father, John Hickey, who died in 2023 after developing progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder that causes dementia.
The article explained that John was paralyzed from the neck down and spent his last five years living in a care facility. While Cheryl and Lori spoke “extremely” about the facility, they were left “angry” about the lack of affordable home care options available.
“In our society, it’s unfortunate that couples who spent 40, 50, 60 years together have to be separated in the last stages of life because of illness,” Lori weighed in. “Why can’t we make home care affordable? Unless you are a millionaire you have no choice but to move in [care] facility,” added Cheryl. “That annoys me.”
In the headline, Cheryl reiterated the importance of tackling issues facing the older generation, a sentiment she shares with her late father. She noted that she was initially hesitant to take part in the magazine feature and shared her anger about “how our parents’ generation is treated.
“I couldn’t decide if opening up that pain from when dad was alive would be healthy for me. It turned out to be exactly what I needed. I know he would want us to say something. He always did,” she wrote.
Cheryl stressed that older people should be able to live out their days in the home they spent their “whole life” working for. “Not only the rich gave this right, this gift,” he wrote.
Her post also sheds light on her mother’s incredible journey, from arriving in Canada with little to her name to overcoming countless obstacles with unwavering determination. “From coming to Canada on the boat in Halifax with one small suitcase for her family, to working from farm to farm, living where it was so difficult, only having two changes of clothes as a child, to getting her first toy at 12 age, to where she is now… inspiring to say the least. I respect where she’s been and the mental strength it’s taken to get her where she is,” shared Cheryl.
Fans flooded the comments section with messages of support for the Hickey family.
“What a beautiful cover. And the story is even more impactful. I’m glad you said something. If not us, then who? We need to protect those who protected us,” said Canadian “Cityline” host Tracy Moore.
“Amazing!” CTV’s “CP24” host Melissa Grelo entered.
“Powerful article,” wrote fellow former “ET Canada” personality Sangita Patel.
“This is such an important thing for us to be talking about. The way society treats old people after they have spent their whole lives working for the man is unacceptable. Thank you for speaking up and telling your story. Our parents deserve better,” said a supporter.
“Our parents have contributed so much to society and their needs are often discarded in their old age as options are limited. More needs to be done to look after our elderly. Their last years should not be a struggle for them and their family,” added another.
Back in 2020, Hickey shared another candid Instagram post about her father while he was still living in the care facility.
Alongside a picture of her and her father dancing at her wedding. “Every day we get an update from the long-term care home where dad has had to live,” she wrote in the caption before explaining that at the time, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been an increase in the number of residents who were passing by. away.
“I wake up some mornings nauseous with anticipation. Every morning my heart feels that my father’s world is getting smaller and smaller tighter and tighter,” he said. “Some days I find it hard to breathe.”
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