Dying for Attention by Susan MacLeod is perhaps my favourite read of 2023. I never would have guessed a graphic novel about the nursing home system would be one of my top reads, but there's a first for everything!

Susan MacLeod shares her personal story of caring for her Mother in the labyrinth we call "Long Term Care." Up here in Canada, things are mighty confusing, enough care isn't given, but they charge an arm and a leg, and all the while you feel guilty about leaving your parent in a home. But, you know deep down, you can't provide the care they need. Susan shares how broken the system is and even gives recommendations for how it can do better. Yet, it seems like nothing will ever change.

Susan's experience is heartbreaking but also eye opening. I worked briefly in a nursing home and left very quickly due to the poor level of care I witnessed. The staff are trying, truly, but there isn't enough funding to have the right amount of staff to give the care those people deserve. It's frustrating, it's incredibly cruel, and it's just not fair. The system is down right broken which will break many peoples heart.

This story is sad but also shows Susan's incredibly strength in a very toughs potion. There isn't another way I could imagine telling this story, because the graphic novel medium makes it feel so much more real (with some comedic images that give a lighthearted feel to such a tough story).

Overall, marvellous! I highly recommend this book. If not to help try to fix a broken system, but to smile and empathize.... We've all had tough health situations to deal with. We are in this together.

Five out of five stars. ( )

Wow! This is brilliant. Ever since I read and was emotionally devastated by [book:As We Are Now|1296250] by [author:May Sarton|13166] at age 19 or 20, and then having seen my grandmother live her last 16-17 years in what was essentially a (fairly good) nursing home, and having to work when I was a student doing clinical rotations in a not the worst and not the best type of nursing home for only about 6 weeks (3 full day shifts a week, classroom instruction was 2 full days a week) but it felt a lot longer than 6 weeks, all of these things made me even more determined to not ever have to be in a place such as those.

The author/illustrator of this graphic novel writes about her mother who needed nursing home care. What I enjoyed most about this book is that so much of it is not about nursing home care and her mother’s final years but is the autobiography of the author/illustrator. It about the scope of her life and her relationships, focusing the most on her lifelong relationships with her mother and her younger brother. This is definitely a family with some difficult relationships/family dynamics. (As is pointed out in the book there are worse family situations than theirs.)

I enjoyed hearing the words of the experts in various fields that the author consults. Reading the words of the author and the experts and her quoting many people she knows or meets made this book great. I enjoyed seeing the various coping mechanisms and therapies that the author used for her own emotional support.

This book shows that nowhere is perfect. This family is in Canada, not the U.S. where I am.

The illustrations are wonderful. Writing this and reading this as a graphic novel was a wonderful way to present this story and this information.

There is a lot to read & view on every page but even so it was a fast read. It was sometimes a difficult read. I’m not sure how helpful it would be for older people already needing help or having been diagnosed with dementia but I think it would be helpful to their loved ones, especially those taking on any kind of caregiver role. It should be read by anyone with any say about how skilled nursing and nursing homes are funded, run, and for all the employees, volunteers, etc. I don’t know how optimistic I feel about that doing any good toward making improvements but I think it’s important either way.

This is one person’s and one family’s experience but I think many people will be able to identify with this account.

I wish that I could have given this book to my friend who died last year. She got sick less than a year after her father died. She took on a lot of his care and did the same for her mother when she needed it. I think she would have greatly appreciated this book, especially when she was spending so much time and energy caring for her parents, directly as well as coordinating caregivers and doing so much more to ensure her parents’ wellbeing. I’m sad that she never got her own retirement years.

Reading this further solidified my decision to do anything and everything in my power to not live out my last days in any kind of institution. It’s a terrifying prospect, especially if poor and without family/dedicated advocates.

4-1/2 stars

Edited to add: I greatly admire [author:Susan MacLeod|20820683]’s rigorous honesty and appreciate that there is humor included despite the difficult topic(s). ( )

Susan MacLeod tells the sad but informative story of putting her mother into long-term elder care in Canada and becoming her advocate as they navigated all the bureaucracy, indifference, and shortcomings of the system. Ironically, MacLeod had been a public relations person for a government health agency, helping to gloss over those same deficiencies.

This is also a family story as MacLeod comes to terms with the difficult relationship she had with her mother and experiences increasing resentment toward and conflict with her geographically and emotionally distant brother.

It's a good primer for anyone who may find themselves in this situation as red flags are waved, action items are outlined, and much advice is given in a format that doesn't allow the reader to get bogged down or bored. ( )