Seniors Falling Through the Cracks in Labrador West

Leila Beaudoin is back in Labrador West investigating the lack of resources and infrastructure available to care for aging residents.

By Leila Beaudoin

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News

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March 3, 2022

Cover of a 2004 report on elder care needs for Labrador West. (Screenshot.)

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In this second spotlight on the community of Labrador West, reporter Leila Beaudoin digs deeper into the region’s human resource problem.

Despite Labrador West’s giant financial contributions to the provincial economy, people are suffering: from young families with inadequate child care resources to Labrador West’s oldest residents, who are being forced to leave their homes in the wake of a systemic elder care crisis.

The Independent speaks with Angela Hardy, whose mother Cheryl faces being uprooted from her home—separated from her husband and community—while she battles Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Author

Leila Beaudoin (she/her) is an award-winning video journalist, filmmaker, and mother of two cats. She has bachelor’s degrees in English and journalism, and a certificate in communications. A student of life, she’s worked as an au-pair in France, and in Canada’s Northwest Territories. She studied journalism at the University of Regina’s prestigious journalism school. Beaudoin grew up on the Northern Peninsula but spent the first half of her career reporting out west for both CTV and CBC. She wrote about her experience growing up in rural Newfoundland in the acclaimed anthology Land of Many Shores. In 2019, Leila was recognized for her work in video journalism with a silver Atlantic Journalism Award. In 2020, she was named Women of Distinction (Public Sphere). She was also a 2022 nominee for the Lansberg award. Leila made her mark in Newfoundland and Labrador journalism reporting with NTV, where she was one of NTV’s chief reporters on social issues and the fishery. These days she’s living in a cottage by the sea, freelance reporting, and working with a team focused on sustaining coastal communities.