I was ten years old when I first noticed the problem. My whole family was attending my brother’s hockey game on a typical Thursday night. My Papa came to every game since I could remember. As we prepared to leave, there was only one person missing, my Papa Joe. With no sign of him in the arena, we went out into the parking lot to check if he was taking a minute and having a smoke. But to our surprise…
It is difficult to understand Alzheimer’s disease until you are living with someone who has it. For me it was when my Grandma got it. She had lived with us for my entire life, and played a huge role in my upbringing. First it was the little things, simple tasks that we take for granted, such as preparing a meal. While I could deal with changes like that, the hardest part was accepting that someone who had always protected and…
Dementia Friends Canada is an Alzheimer Society and Government of Canada initiative to help Canadians better understand what it’s like to live with dementia and how they can help those with the disease remain active and carry on with their daily lives.
Every spring, I can’t wait to get my trowel in hand and bring my garden back to life again. It’s a ritual of rebirth that allows me to put even the worst of winters behind me. And it seems as if this interest has finally aligned with another passion: creating a world without Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. That’s what makes me so excited about our campaign. On May 16, we are encouraging Ontarians to plant Forget Me Not seeds. …
One of the best ways to spread an important message is through your social circles, your own sphere of influence. National Hospice Palliative Care Week’s official theme for 2015 is The Power of 10: Let’s talk about Hospice Palliative Care.
Who are you planting #SeedsofHope for? This is your last chance to get your Forget Me Not seeds and join our hopeful community for a world with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia! Meet some of the others who are planting seeds and find out why they doing so: I’m participating in #SeedsofHope campaign in memory of my Nanny. It’s a great new way to spread awareness of Alzheimer’s. I feel that this campaign was a thoughtful and respectful way to honour those…
My dear mom is 88 years old and lives in a long-term care facility where she is given excellent care. Mom has dementia and along with it aphasia, which affects her ability to use language to communicate. While she doesn’t seem to recognize most relatives and longtime friends, she still knows me, her daughter. I can tell by the way her face lights up when she sees me. She introduces me to the staff every time saying, “This is my…
In the spring and fall of 2013, I worked with a team of artists and researchers on the play Cracked: New Light on Dementia. I was brought onto the project because of my theatre background and because of my personal and professional experience working with people who have dementia. The play is intended to inspire alternative ways of seeing people living with dementia, instill the importance of maintaining strong relationships with them, and reinforce the imperative for good ethical care….
Beth Haas, Behavioural Support Worker for the Alzheimer Society of Oxford, shares her connection to Alzheimer’s disease. Can you share what your personal connection to Alzheimer’s disease has been? First it was my grandmother who had Alzheimer’s disease. It was still called senility in the 1970s. At an early age, I had to travel every other weekend to support her as she struggled to remain in the farmhouse where she had spent all of her married life. And then, years…