Alzheimer Society Blog

I’ve always been interested in how the brain works. And there are so many ways of looking at it – through psychology, medicine and even philosophy. But once I chose medicine, I felt neurosurgery was the most interesting pathway to exploring what happens inside the brain. In some ways, neurosurgeons are like gatekeepers. If you want to study the brain, you often need to gain access through neurosurgery. While my specialty, functional neurosurgery, is about improving brain function, I didn’t…

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My name is Susan Bithrey. I am a caregiver. My life has been transformed since my husband Reg was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In September, which is World Alzheimer’s Month, we learned that 35 million people around the globe have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. But behind these diagnoses are those who are thrust into the role of caregiver. A new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International highlights their ever growing ranks and how caregivers worldwide lack…

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The Alzheimer Society of Ontario would like to thank all our research donors. Because of you, we are getting closer and closer to an Alzheimer miracle. Your donations directly benefit your parents, friends, colleagues, neighbours and members of your community living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias because “they provide more opportunities for access to cutting edge treatments and clinical trials right here in Ontario,” says Dr. Sharon Cohen, Medical Director of the Toronto Memory Program. Here are five critical…

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I remember as a graduate student at Dalhousie University, I saw the play, The Bear Came Over the Mountain. It’s the classic play about Alzheimer’s disease based on Alice Munroe’s book. For a long time afterwards, I thought about people affected by this disease and what their lives were like. It really touched me. Later, when my grandmother went into a nursing home after her stroke, I started to see residents there who were living with Alzheimer’s disease. I couldn’t…

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September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge stigma. In Ontario alone, 200,000 people are living with dementia. Within just a few years, the numbers will be staggering. Research is making new discoveries and giving new hope every day.  While we don’t yet have a cure, research helps develop drugs to delay the progression of the disease, support people with dementia and their caregivers and contribute to our understanding of the brain. We are dedicated…

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My mom had Alzheimer’s disease and when I was a home care nurse, many of my rural clients had it too. I’ve seen people try to care for someone with dementia when they live in an isolated area and can’t get the information and support they need. But the real demographic pressure will begin in 2021 when the first wave of baby boomers turns 75.  So I think we have a window of opportunity now to enhance people’s quality of…

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