By Starr Cunningham for the Chronicle Herald’s Senior Living special published on March 25, 2025
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If you look up the word compassion in the dictionary you’ll most likely find something like this – the sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress, together with a desire to alleviate it.
Personally, I prefer something a little less academic. For me, compassion is a feeling that hits me in the heart. I can’t fight it, nor do I want to. It makes me human and allows me to feel connected. It’s about caring and genuinely wanting to help someone.
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At the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, compassion is one of our core values, along with community and accountability. In this context, we define compassion as kindness and understanding to create nurturing and inclusive environments for growth, healing, and recovery.
Now that’s a definition we could all use more of right now!
Dr. Keri-Leigh Cassidy is a geriatric psychiatrist who is nationally recognized as a leader in the areas of mental health advocacy and positivism in healthcare, psychotherapy, mood and anxiety disorders. She’s also a professor of psychiatry at Dalhousie University and the person behind a successful nonprofit committed to promoting health and wellbeing through science, called Fountain of Health.
She can’t emphasize the power of compassion enough.
““For me, compassion is key to offering quality care to older adults. It helps to shift the usual medical conversation about what is going wrong, to explore patients’ strengths, values, and what is going right for them.””
In this sense, it can be a reframing of sorts. By concentrating on the positive rather than the negative, you can create that nurturing and inclusive environment for growth. So instead of focusing on the fact you can no longer orchestrate a celebratory three-course meal for the whole family, take some time to think about what you can do. Maybe it’s a more casual pot of tea and a special dessert, or taking a page from my mother-in-law’s book, you might want to have the grandchildren over to prepare brunch for you! These simple examples of self-compassion are all tools in the toolbox. They also provide good practice for more serious circumstances you might encounter down the road.
“In the face of a major health challenge, compassion draws out people's inner strengths, which improves wellbeing and optimizes the outcomes,” says Keri-Leigh.
Let's Keep Talking Outstanding Individual Award recipient, Stacy Darku (left), receives her 2024 award from Dr. Keri-Leigh Cassidy. Stacy is a Registered Counselling Therapist who dedicates her energy to making a difference in the lives of others. Dr. Cassidy represents Dalhousie Psychiatry and is a strong proponent of using compassion to improve mental wellness for all, particularly seniors. (Photo courtesy of Stoo Metz Photography)
To share the science of compassion more widely, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia recently funded a project called the "THRIVE with Self-Compassion" initiative. It offers a free one-hour webinar on self-compassion for Nova Scotia adults in midlife and older who are living in the community.