Support the Accompaniment Mission
A Crossroads: From Narrow Path to Wide Path
After Betty's passing, I found myself at a threshold. Together, we had uncovered something extraordinary—a way through cognitive decline that preserved not only life, but identity. And yet, two profound realizations made it impossible to simply return to life as it was.
The Family Misunderstanding
My own family misunderstood what had happened between Betty and me. Despite the joy, growth, and creative expression that blossomed even through dementia and cancer, they couldn't see it. Absolutely, not because they didn't care—they've brought health and hope to thousands if not millions of lives—but because of deeply rooted cultural frames that didn't yet have a place for what they were witnessing.
And if that misunderstanding could happen to me—a storyteller and communicator—how many others are walking this path alone, unseen and unsupported? How many elders are fading in the presence of families who don't yet know what's possible?
The Narrow Path Dilemma
Betty and I found what I called the "narrow path": a profound and personal journey of accompaniment. But it was costly—financially, physically, relationally—and clearly not scalable.
My sister, a PSW who's served hundreds of families, once told me: "What you did with Betty is rare. Maybe 1% of caregivers can go that far."
So I asked myself: Is that enough? Is offering a rare, beautiful exception enough in a world where millions are walking this road?
The Awakening
When I spent a month in a long-term care facility, it lit a fire inside me. There, I met radiant spirits—beautiful souls—clinging to identity with no one there to reflect it back. What faded wasn't just memory. It was being seen. It was being known.
I realized: the narrow path isn't enough. We must build the wide one.
From Crisis to Possibility: A Vision Expands
The wide path requires three essential shifts:
💕 Caregiver Support
No one should have to sacrifice their entire life to support another. Through distributed accompaniment, we're building a network of shared care—where families, professionals, can see Accompaniment so communities can walk together.
🔗 Universal Access
Not everyone has access to human accompaniment. That's why we built CARA—an AI designed not to replace love, but to preserve love, connection and identity. It remembers what matters when memory fades.
🌟 Cultural Visibility
Relational care must be seen and valued. When families feel recognized, they stop swimming upstream. And when society acknowledges accompaniment as essential, care becomes collaboration, not isolation.
Why This Moment Matters
We stand at a crossroads of demographic urgency and transformative possibility. Ten thousand people turn 65 every day in North America, and we have a narrow window—perhaps 5-7 years—to establish alternatives before the demographic wave overwhelms existing systems.
Yet we now have living proof: accompaniment works. The platform is built, the frameworks are tested, the science and stories align.
What we need now is fuel—the collective will to bring this to families who need it.
How You Can Help
💵 For Those Drawn to Support This Mission Financially
-
One-Time Donation: Boost urgent development milestones
-
Monthly Giving: Sustain long-term momentum
-
Major Gift: Accelerate breakthroughs like CARA AI deployment
📚 For Those Who Want to Contribute Time and Expertise
-
ARC Readers: Provide early feedback on the Accompaniment Series
-
Champions: Share the vision with your community or network
-
Professional Allies: Introduce us to healthcare or research partners
-
Expertise Sharing: Contribute your knowledge in tech, caregiving, or cultural design
🔍 For Those Who Need to Understand More
Explore the complete platform at accompaniment.ca - see the frameworks, read Betty's own words, understand how ancient wisdom converges with modern technology to create something entirely new.
What Your Support Builds
-
🌐 Technology that strengthens connection, not replaces it
-
🤝 Resources for distributed accompaniment teams
-
💎 Frameworks that preserve personhood
-
🎓 Training for relational caregivers across settings
-
🔧 Tools for families in every stage of the journey
-
📊 Research that validates and refines the approach
-
📢 Visibility campaigns that shift cultural narratives
Every gift helps lay bricks along the wide path. Whether you're funding an app, empowering a caregiver, or sharing the story—you're helping transform what's possible.
Support Cara & AccompanyAI Development
AccompanyAI brings accompaniment principles to those without access to full human support, using AI trained on effective accompaniment patterns to help preserve stories and maintain connections as memory changes. Your contribution develops this technology that amplifies human connection rather than replacing it, ensuring no one faces cognitive change alone regardless of location or resources.
$150 raised
3 donations
2%
Frequency
One time
Monthly
Amount
$10
$40
$100
$250
$500
$1,000
$5,000
Other
0/100
Comment (optional)
Support the Overall Accompaniment Mission
Your donation supports the development and outreach of accompaniment approaches that show families how relationship becomes cognitive support when memory falters. Help us bring these insights to families worldwide, transforming dementia care from medical management to human accompaniment where possibility endures through cognitive change.
$40 raised
1 donation
1%
Frequency
One time
Monthly
Amount
$10
$40
$100
$250
$500
$1,000
Other
0/100
Comment (optional)
How Funds Are Used
-
Platform Development: Expanding CARA AI capabilities and accessibility
-
Resource Creation: Training materials and support frameworks for distributed accompaniment
-
Outreach & Education: Making accompaniment approaches visible to healthcare professionals and families
-
Storytelling, Keynotes and TED Talks - my strength and main skill - fuelling the revolution
-
Research & Documentation: Validating and refining the methodology with research partners
-
Community Building: Supporting the growing network of accompaniers
I will steward every dollar with transparency and gratitude. Supporters receive regular updates and progress reports.
What Your Support Builds
Not just building a better way to do dementia care. We are remembering how to be human together.
We are reclaiming:
-
Identity, even when memory fades
-
Connection, even in chaos
-
Meaning, even near the end
Let's prove that with the right support, the self not only endures—it shines.
You're invited to be part of it.
Join the Movement
Your support expands a trail once walked by one mother and son into a wide road where millions can travel with dignity, identity, and love.
Whether you give, share, connect, or create—you are helping build a world where no one faces cognitive change alone.
Let's change what the world expects from aging. Let's build the wide path.
The Ripple Effect: From One Family to Everyone
What began as one family's experience has become a mission to ensure no one walks this path alone. Your contribution extends far beyond financial support—you become part of creating that wider path where dignity, connection, and possibility remain available to everyone touched by cognitive change.
Together, we're not just supporting individual families. We're reshaping how society approaches dementia—from a story of inevitable loss to one where accompaniment creates possibilities that neither traditional caregiving nor medical approaches can achieve alone.
With Gratitude
Your contribution to the Accompaniment mission extends far beyond financial support. Each person who stands with us becomes part of something larger—a community dedicated to ensuring no one experiences cognitive change unaccompanied.
We honor your support through transparency in how funds are used, regular updates on development milestones, acknowledgment of your role in making this vision reality, and responsible stewardship of every contribution.
From me personally, and on behalf of countless families who will benefit from your generosity—thank you for believing in this Accompaniment project and in a world where cognitive change doesn't have to mean the end of connection, dignity, or personhood.
Together, we're not just accompanying individuals. We're accompanying a culture home to itself.
In gratitude and deep thanks,
