Donna Thomson is a caregiver, author and
activist. She is the mother of two grown children, one who has severe cerebral palsy and medical complexity. Donna also helped care for her mother who lived with dementia until she passed away in the summer of 2018 at the age of 96. Donna is the co-author (with Dr.
Zachary White) of The Unexpected Journey of Caring: The Transformation of Loved
One to Caregiver (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and author of The Four Walls
of My Freedom: Lessons I’ve Learned From a Life of Caregiving (McArthur and
Co., 2010 and The House of Anansi Press, 2014). She blogs regularly at The
Caregivers’ Living Room. Donna is the past Vice-Chair of Kids Brain
Health Network and is a leader and instructor in family engagement in health
research. She is a co-designer and co-instructor of The Family Engagement in Research Course and the facilitator of the Caregiving Essentials Course, both at McMaster University. She also teaches families how to advocate for care at The Advocacy School
and at Huddol.com. For the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Donna
sat on The Expert Group on Home and Community Care, the advisory committee for
the white paper on aging and on the Working Group on Complex Care for Adults
with Developmental Disabilities.
When she's not writing and reading about caregiving, Donna loves to cook for friends and family, dance and whenever possible, meditate in the wilderness, either in Quebec or in Cat Island, Bahamas.
