Germaine Dechant

I am a retiree after a 50-year career in health care marked with accomplishments in bedside nursing, teaching, research, consulting, management, administration, coaching, and governance. I have had many roles: a psychiatric nurse in a large psychiatric hospital and general hospital psychiatric units, a registered nurse on medical units, a teacher in hospital-based nursing programs, a head nurse and program manager, a student of public health and health services administration, a consultant in government, a CEO in hospital and community settings, an executive coach, and an avid believer in the importance of good governance with appointments on several Boards of Directors. I can say truly that I loved every day of my career.

I am also the daughter of Francophone pioneers who worked hard to develop the land in Peace River, Alberta; the daughter of farmers and one of 13 siblings. I am a wife, the mother of two children, the mother-in-law of their spouses, grandmaman of their children, and an active volunteer in my community.

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I have always had a passion for writing and have authored several professional publications during the course of my career, including a book I’m very proud of: Winter’s Children: The Emergence of Children’s Mental Health Services in Alberta 1905-2005. In my retirement, I have shifted gears to focus on other forms of writing. The result is my recently published memoir: True to the End: a Journey Into the Burdens and Risks of Executorship.

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I live in Winnipeg and when I’m not writing, I devote time to charitable causes, including my current appointment on a local hospital Board of Directors. I also have an active practice as an Executive Coach and enjoy every precious moment of time spent with my children and grandchildren.