Join Mariko Sakamoto, assistant professor of nursing at the University of Victoria, for the second season of the multi-award-winning podcast series about love and memory loss, recorded by caregivers of family members living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

This 2025 series is part of a UVic research project that explores storytelling, different ways of listening, and the power of being heard.

Go to CalltoMindPodcast.com to see storyteller photos, read episode transcriptions and learn more about our research project.

Producer: Jenni Schine

Sound designer: David Parfit

Executive producer: Suzanne Ahearne

This 2025 podcast series is made possible by the generosity and creativity of the participants in Mariko Sakamoto's research project, and by the University of Victoria, with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and with Scholar Award funding from Michael Smith Health Research BC/Alzheimer Society of BC.

This is call to mind audio diaries of love and

memory loss. This podcast series is a deep dive into the

experiences of caregivers. We bring you intimate audio diaries

recorded by caregivers of family members living with Alzheimer's

and other forms of dementia.

Okay, so I'm driving down the highway. I'm leaving

Campbell River on my way to Courtney for a surprise visit

with my mom. Surprised me because I didn't think I was

gonna have time to visit her today on the way to Victoria,

I'm actually on my way to Victoria to go start taking care

of things in her house, going through her papers, going

through her worldly belongings, to pack up that part of our

life.

I'm Mariko Sakamoto, Assistant Professor of

Nursing at the University of Victoria, and host of Call to

Mind. You'll hear stories about resilience, loss, change, and

the good and bad that comes with transitions while living with

dementia. Stories from different cultural backgrounds, and family

relationships, and from different parts of BC.

I would like to share a song. Actually. It's lyrics to a

song that really express how a lot of my feelings beneath the

surface. And it's called Take My Hand, and it's an amazing song.

The lyrics go like this: take my hand and walk with me, together,

you and I. [song and lyrics by Jeremy Dutcher]

So my nani has dementia. Now, what? Eventually, everyone

started to shift into a new role that they played in the family.

I found the process as complicated as ever. I was no

longer my nani's granddaughter. I was a caretaker. Not only was

I a caretaker, I was 21, a full time student and had two part

time jobs. Every single minute of every single day, it was like

I was running. I consider myself a marathon runner when it comes

to challenging life's problems. I have experience. I've been

doing hard work for a long time. Nothing was compared to taking

care of someone with dementia.

This series is part of a research project that

explores storytelling, different ways of listening and the power

of being heard. It's made possible by the University of

Victoria with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities

Research Council. Learn more about our research project at

calltomindpodcast.com.