Citizen stories honoured for excellence
Ottawa Citizen reporter Blair Crawford has earned the Joan Gullen Award for Media Excellence for his feature The Wanderers, which examined issues surrounding people who, because of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, wander from their caregivers.
In the feature, which appeared in the Citizen last March, Crawford carefully explained the stress and worry faced by people whose loved ones have wandered, and showed how perilous the problem can be for all involved.
The story was nominated for the award by members of the Eastern branch of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and unanimously chosen by a panel of reviewers.
“This series of articles,” noted one reviewer, “provides a deep and captivating glimpse into an underreported issue.
“I think, across the series, the author was able to capture various perspectives related to what could be done to minimize the chances of wandering (i.e. Smarter houses, redesigning homes and new programs designed to help find seniors), but also was able to capture the real-life impacts of families and individuals affected by Alzheimer’s directly. It culminated in a bit of a grim reminder that the statistics are daunting, and no cure has been found.”
The award, named for social justice activist Joan Gullen, is presented annually in two categories: large print or electronic media serving the region, and small print or electronic media serving local communities. The Wanderers claimed the large print and electronic media category.
“The story really struck a nerve with people,” said Crawford. “After it ran, I got emails from all over — Scotland, Australia, the U.S. — from people who were coping with dementia and wandering.
“But finding people to speak to me for the story was actually quite hard,” he added.
“That was one of the saddest things for me. One woman I interviewed, her husband had been a forester and worked all his life out in the bush. And he had a sailboat and he could navigate all over the Great Lakes. But with Alzheimer’s, he would get lost just going to the mall or walking down through their neighbourhood and eventually had to be placed in a secure ward. She was so upset about the indignity of it all.”
Citizen deputy editor Keith Bonnell said: “Blair’s well-researched and strongly written series spoke powerfully to everyone who read it. Alzheimer’s and dementia affect a large swath of our population, both directly and indirectly, and these stories respectfully but poignantly addressed one of the many challenges that people are dealing with each and every day.”