Canadian TV host Cheryl Hickey says lack of affordable care for seniors 'infuriates' her: 'You have no choice'
The former "ET Canada" host and her mother posed together in a new magazine cover.
Cheryl Hickey and her mom are advocating for improved home care for seniors. On Sunday, the former "ET Canada" host took to Instagram with a carousel of photos, starting with a snap of Mind Over Matter magazine's latest issue with herself and her mother, Lori Hickey, on the front cover.
In the cover photo, the Canadian TV host and her mom hugged 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 passed away in 2023 after developing progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder that causes dementia.
The article explained John had become paralyzed from the neck down and spent his final five years living in a care facility. While Cheryl and Lori speak "highly" about the facility, they were left "angry" at the lack of affordable home care options that were available.
"In our society, it's unfortunate that couples who spent 40, 50, 60 years together have to end up being separated in the final stages of life due to illness," Lori weighed in. "Why can't we make home care affordable? Unless you're a multimillionaire you have no choice but to move into a [care] facility," Cheryl added. "That infuriates me."
In the caption, Cheryl reiterated the importance of addressing issues facing the elder generation, a sentiment she shares with her late father. She noted that she was initially hesitant to participate in the magazine feature and share her anger for "how our parents' generation is being treated.
"I couldn't decide if opening that pain from when dad was alive would be healthy for me. Turns out it was exactly what I needed. I know he would want us to say something. He always did," she penned.
Cheryl emphasized seniors should be able to live out their days in the home they spent their "entire life" working for. "It can't be only the wealthy who given this right, this gift," she wrote.
Her post also shed light on her mom's incredible journey, from arriving in Canada with very 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 farm to farm, living in place that was so difficult, only having two changes of clothes as a child, to getting her first toy at 12, to where she is now… is inspiring to say the least. I respect where she has been and the mental strength it has taken to get her where she is," Cheryl shared.
Fans flooded the comment section with supportive messages for the Hickey family.
"What a beautiful cover. And the story is even more impactful. I’m glad you said something. If not us, than who? We need to protect the ones who protected us," Canadian "Cityline" host Tracy Moore commented.
"Amazing!" CTV's "CP24" host Melissa Grelo chimed in.
"Powerful article," fellow former "ET Canada" personality Sangita Patel wrote.
"This is such an important thing for us to be talking about. The way society treats old people after they spent their entire lives working for the man is unacceptable. Thank you for speaking up and telling your story. Our parents deserve better," a fan commented.
"Our parents have contributed so much to society and their needs are discarded in their old age many times as options are limited. More needs to be done in caring for our elderly. Their final years should not be a struggle for them and their family," another added.
Back in 2020, Hickey shared another candid Instagram post about her father while he was still living at the care facility.
Alongside a photo of herself and her dad dancing at her wedding. "Every day we get an update from the long term care home where dad has been been having to live," she wrote in the caption before explaining that at the time, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been an increase of residents passing away.
"I wake up some mornings nauseous in anticipation. Every morning my heart is feeling like my dads world is getting smaller and smaller tighter and tighter," she said. "Some days I find it hard to breath."
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