A Humanist in the House of Old: Moyra Jones and Early Dementia Care in Canada

Abstract

The history of gerontology and the experience of aging in Canada is still largely unwritten. This article employs the personal and career biography of British Columbian rehabilitation and dementia care specialist Moyra Jones, an active member in this field of care from the 1960s until the new millennium. I explore how gender, professionalism, treatment options, and emerging ideas about the personhood of individuals with dementia shaped gerontological ideas and practices in the late twentieth century.