Linda takes the bus and train everywhere - her walker doesn’t slow her down. When she’s too tired, she will hop in a taxi, or get a lift from her sister. Where does she go? Linda Louise Boisvert, 75, is a caregiver. She visits her husband as often as she can. He had a stroke and heart attack six years ago, and now lives with dementia in a care residence in the city.
Linda also spends a lot of time volunteering, and at the Unison Kerby Centre. Linda takes advantage of Unison’s Adult Day Program (ADP), which gives respite to caregivers. Linda attends ADP to have fun with older adults like her, who need extra support. while their caregivers take a break. Linda also attends a monthly care group at the Wellness Connection Centre. She also tries anything that grabs her interest. This month, it’s Chinese knot jewelry through the Active Aging department. “I figure I can’t mess that up,” Linda says, laughing.
Chatting with Linda is like getting a blast of sunlight to the face. Her cheeriness is contagious, despite a coupe of hard-knocks from life. Linda was in the hospital not too long ago due to some persistent leg pain after a fall. “My blood pressure and sugar were low, but they said not much was wrong,” says Linda. The day after visiting the hospital, she went bowling. “We were killing ourselves laughing the whole time,” she says, describing how she used the bowling ramp to knock the pins down. “I just like being with people,” Linda says.
After her husband left for the care facility, Linda remained in her home, occasionally seeing her sister and nieces. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic happened. “I saw no one. I was at home by myself,” Linda remembers. After lockdown was lifted, a home care worker asked if she wanted to go to Unison. “I used to come here with my mom and dad,” Linda says. It was an easy decision. When she was younger, Linda would look after her parents, and worked at her local parish rectory. She has held many jobs in her life, from CP Rail, the old Krans factory, the Army, the Boy Scouts, and even in the bush, where she helped rescue a grizzly bear attack victim. “I did a lot of jobs women typical[1]ly didn’t do,” Linda says. She loved working, and even tried nursing school at SAIT. “I was brought up that hard work will get you places,” she says.
During an era where many women stopped working once they were married, Linda tied the knot and kept her nose to the grind, and that includes an insurmountable number of volunteer hours - so much so that she received the Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club. Linda also helps out at Unison, at casinos, during the Stampede, during Global Fest, for the Catholic Women’s League, and much more. “I’ve always volunteered. It’s just part of my life. Most people are too old to do that,” Linda says, with a mischievous laugh and her characteristic smile. “I just help.” With her unshakable optimism, volunteers like Linda give the rest of us hope.