For families raising children with disabilities, the transition between childhood and adulthood can be so abrupt and dramatic, it’s often called ‘falling off the cliff’. As teens lose access to pediatric services, parents are left scrambling to make up for the loss.
Dr. Jan Willem Gorter, a KBHN investigator, Director of CanChild Research Centre at McMaster University and trained physiatrist, is bringing awareness to the realities these families face as an invited guest participating in CBC’s Crisis of Care town hall on June 12, 2018. The event will be hosted by CBC’s White Coat, Black Art, and held at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.
Admission to the gathering is free of charge. The event also features panelists from other disciplines, including Dr. Yona Lunsky from CAMH and Brendon Pooran from PooranLaw.
“The goal of the event is to bring out the stories and voices of the families, so that they are being heard, but also to take it a step further,” says Dr. Gorter, “we want to not only talk about the issues and problems, but also think about solutions and how we can make this better.”
In case you missed it, White Coat, Black Art’s latest episode talked about Gillian Geddes, the story that inspired the topic of transitions.
For more information about the event, you can go to the CBC’s event page here.
For those unable to attend in person, highlights of the town hall will be broadcast on CBC Radio on White Coat Black Art the weekend of June 16/17.
