As the result of a challenging 14 – year dementia care experience, Karen Henderson launched the Long Term Care Planning Network in 2008, Canada’s leading on and off-line resource centre for aging and long term care. Her extensive seminar series, web sites, newsletters, video series and print materials developed over the past 14 years are internationally recognized as key aging, elder and long term care educational and resource tools.
Karen is now a well-known speaker, educator, writer, media commentator, publisher and consultant in the field of long term care, who has been published in leading geriatric journals in Canada. She has spoken across Canada and in the U.S. to a wide variety of organizations from hospitals to law firms. Karen has been featured frequently on television and radio and has written many articles about her personal long term care experience.
Karen is a member of the Toronto-based Dementia LINC; she sat on the advisory committees for Ontario’s Strategy for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias and the Round Table for Ontario’s Elder Abuse Strategy. In December 2000, she became a founding member of the Canadian Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition to improve end-of-life care for all Canadians.
In 2006 Karen became a Stephen Minister, then a Stephen Leader in her church, roles that have trained her to work with individuals struggling with aging, grief, loneliness, hospitalization or a terminal illness.
As a result of her experience, Health Canada asked Karen to contribute to Writings in Gerontology: Mental Health and Aging, which was distributed to over 3000 physicians, academics, students, caregivers, seniors and others interested in issues related to aging and seniors. She was also asked by the Alzheimer Society of Canada to provide feedback on their updated Tough Issues sheets, with particular emphasis on Quality of Life For Caregivers/Families of People With Alzheimer Disease. The Government of Ontario – Seniors’ Secretariat asked Karen to write a new section on caregiving for the second release of their Guide to Programs and Services For Seniors in Ontario.
Most recently Karen has passed the provincial LLQP A & S program and examinations, which now qualifies her to sell Living Benefits Products – including Critical Illness and Long Term Care Insurance.