January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada
The start of a new year is an excellent time to reach out and try something new, and since January is also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada, there are many opportunities to learn more and join local programs dedicated to dementia awareness and information.
Samantha Holland, First Link Regional Team Lead at the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba’s Selkirk office, explained that the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba helps people with all types of dementia with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common type.
“The Alzheimer’s Society is a nonprofit organization that supports individuals and families that are impacted by dementia, so whether that’s through phone support, in-person support, interacting with our education sessions, community programs and support groups, we meet people where they’re at,” she said.
Dementia itself is not a single disease but a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. There are many ways that dementia can change memory, thinking, or reasoning so everyone with dementia experiences their illness differently. Even though everyone’s experience is unique, groups like the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba allow people to come together and support each other.
“Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia can really make people feel alone. But the reality is that there are so many people who are going through the same thing, and if you can have support close to home, in a way, that still keeps the person and their family connected to their own community. It makes such a difference,” explained Holland.
St Andrews resident Gary Elbers agreed to share his family’s dementia experience and how the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba’s programming has helped them.
Elber’s wife Brenda was diagnosed with dementia in 2015 and he explained that before her diagnosis he knew very little about dementia.
“I knew of no one in my family or in Brenda’s family, or any of our associates had ever expressed anything about dementia,” said Elbers.
He explained that his family started to notice little differences in Brenda’s previously very sharp memory when she started to miss appointments but that it took a conversation with his daughter for them to realize that they had both been noticing changes in Brenda. From there, Elbers recorded what he was noticing and brought it to Brenda’s doctor which led to her dementia diagnosis.
It was that doctor who encouraged Elbers to connect with the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.
“It was the best decision I made, as far as that goes, because that’s when I began to learn about dementia and all of the possible ways in which we can begin to look at it and cope with it,” he said.
Elbers said that one program that really helped him was our local caregiver support groups.
He went to an initial meeting on the recommendation of the Alzheimer Society and didn’t quite feel like it was the right fit at the time but when he and his wife found themselves in a situation like one described by a member of the group when he initially attended he realized that it was a resource he needed to return to.
“I realized, I better go back to this group and figure out what’s happening. So, I did go back to the support group and it really was very helpful for me. I don’t think I would have been at the stage I am now if it wasn’t for the support group. And, it was surprising to me that I saw people there who I recognized, and didn’t realize, ‘Oh, you mean you’re having this same you’re facing the same condition or similar condition that I’m facing,’” he said.
He says that the main benefits of this group for caregivers is that they have a chance to be forthright with their situations, that others in the group can empathize and understand each other because they are all in similar situations but also give their different perspectives leading to helpful dialogue, and that there is confidentiality amongst group members which gave him an opportunity to be more honest with himself and with what’s happening.
Elbers believes that there needs to be more openness about dementia in our community even for people not experiencing or having a friend or family member who is affected by dementia so that we can create a dementia-friendly community
“We need to make people aware that individuals in our community might be experiencing some cognitive problems and that we need to be understanding,” he said
His advice to those who have been newly diagnosed with dementia and their caregivers is to reach out to the Alzheimer Society.
“The key to me is you have to get involved as early as possible. More people have to be more aware of dementia, and get involved with the Alzheimer Society and their programs as early as possible to get the maximum benefit,” he said.
Holland mentioned that in addition to the group that Elbers discussed, there are other local programs for people experiencing dementia. There is the Minds in Motion program which is a series of weekly sessions held twice a year for people with dementia and their care partners which gets everyone out in a dementia-friendly environment for conversation, fun activities and support. There is the local ambiguous loss support group which is starting a new eight-week session next week and helps caregivers, families and friends of those with dementia. There are also local and video conferencing options for support groups for those with dementia as well as spouses and adult children. There are even online educational sessions that help people learn about different topics that affect those with dementia from how to deal with financial matters, to conversations about driving and the first steps of living with dementia. To learn more about these opportunities contact Holland at 204-268-4752 or alzne@alzheimer.mb.ca.
She explained that it’s important that everyone in our community be informed about dementia and Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada is a great time to spread the word or learn more.
“Everyone has a brain, and everyone has a brain that’s going to change as they age. And if we as a community can be more prepared to know what to look out for, how to respond, where to get help, it really makes all the difference. We also know that there’s a lot of stigma attached to the idea or the diagnosis of dementia, and anything we can do to reduce that and make people understand that people living with dementia are just like you and me, they may have their challenges along the way, but they can still live really quality lives,” said Holland.
