Alzheimer Society Blog

Mr. Lincoln Alexander, former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, has just died. He was 90. He leaves our province an extraordinary legacy. He was also a towering champion of our cause, committed to families living with dementia and the issues they face. His first wife, Yvonne, had Alzheimer’s disease. Lincoln spoke regularly about the disease in his trademark voice of care and compassion, and was a patron of the Toronto and Hamilton-Halton Societies. In 2007, a state-of-the-art home for people with dementia…

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It’s a rare treat for the public to get a peak into the world of neurodegenerative disease research. That’s why I was thrilled when the Alzheimer Society of Ontario invited me to its annual key donors’ tour of the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurological Diseases at the University of Toronto. The Tanz Centre is at the forefront of global brain disease research so the tour was a great learning experience for me. We were invited into the labs and each…

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I have always enjoyed the holidays because it is a chance for me to spend quality time with my whole family. I particularly enjoy the  copious amounts of delicious food prepared for our Thanksgiving meal. My grandmother was always the centre of our family gatherings by bringing everyone together and even preparing the large meals. Family gatherings during the holidays were the first time my dad and aunt started to notice the changes in my grandmother that led them to take…

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Alzheimer Society of Ontario (ASO) is a co-founder and lead funder of the TANZ Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CRND) at the University of Toronto, an internationally-acclaimed research centre that has revolutionized the approach to brain research.  On October 2, 2012, guests, volunteers and staff of ASO had the opportunity to tour the TANZ facility and meet with various researchers doing ground-breaking research.  Help us provide Help for Today.  Hope for Tomorrow…® by donating to research.

Imagine how it feels to be locked in a world where you feel frustrated, fearful or confused, but you can’t tell anyone what’s happening to you. This is a tough reality for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The stress can cause them to become angry and aggressive; they may resist care or suddenly go missing. If you’re caring for someone with dementia, breaking through the wall into that world feels impossible. The behavior can be frightening, and it’s…

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Exciting volunteer opportunities are coming this fall as part of the Alzheimer Society’s new Volunteer Mobilization Initiative. Seven Societies throughout Ontario will be promoting projects offering unique and creative opportunities for volunteers. Kicking off these projects is a new Speakers Bureau.

On May 17, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario hosted a reception at Queen’s Park to unveil a five-point action plan called Focus ON dementia. “The time has never been more right to make a real difference in the lives of Ontarians affected by dementia. Our report offers five achievable solutions that are aligned with current government priorities, but more importantly, get to the root of the issues facing our health-care system today,” said Gale Carey, CEO of the Alzheimer Society…

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Mother’s Day is around the corner and I’ve been wracking my brains trying to think of how to honour my mother.   But it occurs to me why do we honour our mothers (and our fathers for that matter) this one day? Every day should be a special day with our moms and dads because no one knows when Alzheimer’s disease might hit. Though we’ve come a long way in understanding this disease, we still haven’t discovered the causes or found…

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When Don Mastin invited me to spend the day with him and his wife Eileen, I was delighted.  Eileen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 11 years ago, at that time Don retired to become a caregiver. He cared for her full time until six years ago when Eileen had to be moved into long-term care. Don remembers every month, every day, every moment.