At 91, Doug Robinson still has a bucket list. At the top: make it to 100, and throw a party.
Donna Duncan sits down with Doug, a resident at the Village of Sandalwood Park in Brampton, Ontario, and his daughter, Elaine. Doug moved into long-term care the week before COVID. Since then, he has become known as the King of the Green Bench.
At Schlegel Villages, a green bench sits by the front door. It's an open invitation to sit beside an older adult and hear their story. That simple idea grew into #ElderWisdom, a movement to challenge ageism by listening to older adults. It even became a documentary, The Green Bench, which took Doug and Elaine back to where their family's story began.
Doug has a lot of stories. Some you won't quite believe. Elaine promises they're all true.
It's a reminder of why we make this show. Growing older doesn't make life smaller. Sometimes it's where the best stories are still being written.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- The Green Bench, a documentary from Schlegel Villages, produced by SandBay Entertainment
- #ElderWisdom | Stories from the Green Bench podcast from Schlegel Villages, also on Spotify
- Learn about the #ElderWisdom movement and take the #ElderWisdom Pledge
- Once a Nurse, Always a Nurse: A Conversation with Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Coming of Age
This episode is sponsored by our Sector Champion, Medline Canada. Learn more about how we’re making healthcare run better in long term care at medline.ca
