Meet Linda Mac Dougall | Specialized Senior Massage Therapist and Senior Health Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linda Mac Dougall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linda, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Taking risks has always been a vital part of my life and career. As a child, I was introverted and often found myself around chaotic situations outside my bedroom. However, I eventually learned to speak up for what I believed in.

My first courageous act was, with heart pounding, confronting my angry mother when I discovered her kicking a chained dog. To my surprise, my defiance led her to recognize her overreaction.

As I matured, I adopted some of my mother’s outspoken qualities while discarding others. I took a significant risk by applying to be an administrator of two group homes for UCP, navigating both challenges and rewards there for the next eleven years.

When my ex husband was transferred to Hawaii, I became a federal advocate for the developmentally disabled, working to improve state and stakeholder interactions with those I served. I left with accomplishments such as medical review boards being set up to better serve their state.
Upon returning to the mainland, I started my own business to maintain work during our moves. I had no idea how difficult it would be to start and stop and start again.

Now, divorced and 77, I am a senior health advocate, focusing on senior health challenges, and I have a legislative proposal pending with my local Area on Aging. Taking risks has profoundly shaped my journey.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My experience as an employee led me to realize that I wanted to be self-employed. In San Diego, I attended school for massage therapy and holistic health education. I was particularly focused on working with seniors and individuals with disabilities. Interestingly, I was the oldest student in my class, being in my early 50s.

In both the student clinic and after graduation, I encountered clients who needed my help. Conditions such as fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and myofascial pain syndrome came my way. Fibromyalgia was the first condition I encountered repeatedly, which prompted me to learn more about it. While in Hawaii, I was introduced to systemic enzymes by my naturopathic dentist, and I still take them today to manage my back pain and other age-related issues. I discovered that these enzymes could also benefit my clients.

Today, I still study and help as I can. I do talks like “The Vices of Mobility Devices and the Damage Done by Misuse” and “Nutrient Thieves in Your Medicine Cabinet”.
A neighbor asked me to look at her blood test. Her doctor had told her nothing, and there were some high values. I am not a doctor, but I can do research. I told her that from what I gathered, she either had kidney or liver issues. Turns out she has kidney disease. Another lady had been on Nexium for many years and wanted off. I found a natural alternative for her and she is off the medicine and happy, but her next step is to see how her bones are after all those years on the Nexium.

I have seen furniture issues with seniors that were a danger to them. I see very few seniors who wear foot supports that could ease their pain. Quite often the food served to them is the same that got them ill. And don’t get me started on mobility devices and the systemic problems that feed into this deterioration of health and happiness.

What isn’t easy is seeing my contemporaries unwittingly damaging themselves. As a massage therapist, I have addressed so many of the same preventable issues again and again. People don’t know what they don’t know. What isn’t easy is trying to address the root systemic cause of what is preventable. That is why I have my legislative proposal. That is why I am going to Austin, Tx this Dec. to join Think Tank, a group working to change senior living. I am an involved senior health advocate.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Personally, botanical gardens, museums, harbors, the smell of orange blossoms, on the way to Boccali’s Pizza and Pasta at the bottom of the grade to Upper Ojai, Sharky’s for organic Mexican in Ventura, these are some of the things and places I’d like to share. However, the interests of my guests would also have to be considered.
I am more of a homebody and eat more organically than most restaurants serve. However, Ventura County has several harbors with numerous activities for guests to enjoy, see, and experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Throughout my journey, I’ve been fortunate to have many mentors and supporters. My experiences at UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) were particularly impactful, as I learned a great deal from the various staff and families involved. One remarkable individual stood out—a state-licensed nurse who dedicated herself to helping and mentoring me during our time together. Sadly, she passed away earlier this year. Our friendship extended well beyond our years at UCP. Her name was Baruska Knight.

The other organization that encouraged and supported me was Hawaii Disability Rights Center and their staff and families. With their encouragement, my work there highlighted needed reforms that began just as I was leaving the state. I am proud to have been an agent of change for the better there.

Website: https://www.loveyourlongevity.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-mac-dougall-984820/

Other: I am also on Alignable. I have FB, but do not really use it much.