Meet Haydee: Building on a lifetime of caregiving through continuing education

Haydee is currently in the Retirement Community Management program. She brings nearly three decades of lived caregiving experience into the classroom, along with a professional background in planning, real estate, and systems operation, in order to bridge caregiving and professional practice.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I am a Filipino-Canadian immigrant, and I have spent nearly three decades as a hands-on caregiver across two countries, supporting aging parents, in-laws, and family members through health crises that no one prepared me for. I learned everything the hard way: what to ask, who to call, what to bring, and what gets lost when there is no plan.

My background is in environmental planning and operations. I worked in real estate and design, built a career around compliance and systems that required precision, until I decided to focus on what truly mattered to me most, being the full-time caregiver for my mother. It was at that moment that I realized I needed formal knowledge to back up my caregiving experience with something structured and credible.

What led you to the Retirement Community Management program?

My first instinct was to look for courses that could bridge caregiving and professional practice, and McMaster Continuing Education offered exactly that. I was building First 72 Hours and Beyond, a caregiving preparedness toolkit for Canadian families, and I needed the professional foundation to bring this work into healthcare institutions and reach families everywhere. I am currently in my second of three courses in the Retirement Community Management program.

What has your learning experience been like so far?

Both instructors left a lasting impression on me. Carla Keogan brought her real-world experience to the Retirement Community Management course, which formalized what I had already been practising in my career. For the first time, I had the proper framework for what I had been doing intuitively, creating budgets, leading teams, improving processes, and understanding how organizations are structured and governed. She connected the theory to practice in a way that made everything click.

Melissa Lam brought that same commitment to my nutrition studies, along with an approach that opened my thinking beyond food and meal planning. The course challenged me to consider the whole person first, including their lifestyle, personality, spiritual beliefs, and cultural background,and to approach every caregiving decision with respect, dignity, and ethical care.

What struck me most was that the course did not just focus on the care recipient; it also addressed the caregiver. That resonated deeply with me, because that is me. I know what it feels like to give care without anyone asking how you are doing. No family can sustain good care if the caregiver is running on empty. That is exactly why I am building First 72 Hours and Beyond. It is not just for the person in the bed, but for the person standing beside it.

How does this program connect to your personal caregiving journey?

This course is the anchor I needed when I first stepped into the caregiving role. I simply did not have it then. Having it now feels like coming full circle.

Before McMaster Continuing Education, I had decades of caregiving experience, but I had no formal framework to support it. That is changing. I am turning lived experience into something I can stand behind professionally, and that matters to me deeply.

What does continuing education mean to you?

For me, continuing education means staying humble and acknowledging that experience alone is never enough.

What advice would you give to other students considering McMaster Continuing Education?

My advice to any student considering McMaster Continuing Education is to come with your whole story. Do not leave your lived experience at the door. In programs like this one, it is not a liability but your greatest asset.

How do you balance your studies with caregiving and life responsibilities?

On most days, caregiving comes first. Life gets hectic, the course has to wait, but I keep my eyes on the prize. I am still doing this:completing the program, building my toolkit, supporting my mother, and raising a child through university, all at the same time. Because no family should face a health crisis without a plan. That is not just my mission, it is my purpose. McMaster Continuing Education made room for someone like me, and for that, I am truly grateful.