“D.L.”: Vancouver
“We have done amazing work... I am in such a better place
emotionally than I have ever been in my life because
of things you have made me think about and ideas you
have provided me to help myself, my mother and my
family situation..”
“Monica”: Vancouver
“I won’t be able to describe just how helpful Peter was but I’ll try. Some time back, my stepmother and stepfather had to move into a private facility on the North Shore. Shortly after that, my stepfather fell and broke his hip. While he was recovering in the hospital, we came to realize that he’d been covering up for my stepmother…she’d developed dementia. Their trustee recommended I call Peter, and I’m so glad I did.
There was a series of events the required Peter’s advice for about a year; and then in the middle of it all, my husband died. I was kind of lost, but Peter was a great help. He knew quite a bit about all of these types of situations and was able to give me a lot of advice. He didn’t overwhelm me with ideas, but he was firm when he felt it is was important. When things would be calmer for a while, Peter would be quietly in the background but if I needed him, he was always right there. And I always knew that if I got into trouble, I could phone him.
I don’t know what I would have done without him.”
Pat: Seattle
“My sister’s financial advisor recommended Peter Silin when my sister, who had dementia, needed help. I used to go back and forth to Vancouver to visit her but I’m 80 now and it just gets to be too much. Peter helped to get my sister into a very good facility. I think she gets great care. I phone every week to check up on her and the gals there are wonderful. My brothers live near there and they also check in on her from time to time. Aside from regular care, we told Peter how much my sister had always loved music so he arrange for musical therapy for her. He also checks in on her and keeps me informed.
The thing about Peter is that he really cares. Since I can’t be the one to check in on her regularly, Peter makes me feel confident that everything will be taken care of.”
“Joan”: Vancouver
I’m the oldest of four. My father was in his 80’s and I was experiencing a fair amount of stress because I was really his primary caregiver. I was starting to feel frustrated and angry with my family and things were not going well with them. I tried to manage the conversations and still get my points across, but I just couldn’t do those two jobs at once whenever my family and I started to discuss my father so things went from bad to worse. I heard about Peter and I went to see him a few times. I found that helpful but it was even more helpful when he held some group sessions with my family.
Peter was very good at helping people to express themselves, share their feelings, and come up with a plan. He was also very good at helping me to hear what my family had to say. At first, I guess I didn’t want to hear their point of view. I thought mine was the only one that counted because in my opinion, I was doing all of the work. I wasn’t capable of dealing with their feelings as well as my own. But sometimes you need someone who isn’t directly in the situation; someone who can help you to deal with things in a positive way. Peter was very non-threatening. He was extremely good at making everyone feel heard. When I felt heard, I could begin to listen to everyone else and it really changed my thinking.
My father eventually passed away and that was hard, but because of the work Peter had done with us, the family was in a position where we could still talk with each other and make decisions and feel supportive of each other. Despite the circumstances of the whole thing, we’ve all ended up closer, rather than further apart. It was a very traumatic period of course, but in the end, when I think of what Peter was able to help us to do, it was well worth it.
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Karen: Alaska
A couple of years ago, my family noticed some personality changes with my Aunt, who is in Vancouver. Her financial advisor suggested it would be a good idea for my Aunt to have a health advocate, so we brought in Peter. He was right on. He helped to diagnose her, found her appropriate care, he took care of everything. We’re in our second year with Peter. Now he goes out and sees her regular to make sure she’s getting her needs met. The real benefit is that he knows what to look for. Family members don’t always know what to look for or who to talk to. He coordinates all of the information and he knows what questions to ask, how to assess people and places, and he can figure out where people need to be placed. For someone who’s in a different town from my Aunt, this service was invaluable. I also really liked the fact that he’s a mental health counsellor, so he can grasp pretty quickly the dynamics of a family.
I’ve got young children so I’ve felt a bit caught in the middle between caring for them and caring for an older member of my family. Peter has been a God send. His services are extremely valuable to a stressed out family!
“R”: Vancouver
I found myself in the hospital and confined to a wheelchair, but I was going to get discharged soon. I knew I couldn’t go back to my apartment. My trust company suggested that Peter might be able to help me. I met with him and he asked me all sorts of questions about what I was looking for. I really wanted to live in West Vancouver, where my apartment was. I knew all of the shops and I felt very comfortable there. But I knew from looking around on my own that I probably wouldn’t be able to stay there. The next best thing was North Vancouver and I considered Sunrise, but at that time they wouldn’t take me because I would be in a wheelchair, at least for a while. So we kept looking. Because of the level of care I needed, we looked further afield, but nothing seemed right and it came down to the crunch. So Peter went back to Sunrise and convinced them to take me. My niece checked it out and thought it looked great, so I went to look at it and I thought it was good as well.
The care here is great, the food is good. They have a bust that goes on three or four outings a week and they’re quite nice. There’s entertainment with music in the afternoons and sometimes I’ll take my team down there to enjoy it. I can get out with my scooter to the local mall – it’s pretty good. There’s a nice little book store and I can go get my hair done. The new library will be ready soon.
My suite faces the back. I look out over the terrace and I have a bird feeder that attracts chickadees and stellar jays. And we have a few squirrels that climb out to the feeder and do their little acrobatics and have a lovely time – it’s very entertaining to watch them.
This suits me for the moment. Peter was so helpful with the process. I don’t think I would have made it into here without his help.
More Testimonials
Read what people said about seminars and training by Diamond Geriatrics
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