picture of garden
Gardening therapy for dementia

Gardening therapy for dementia

For someone who loves gardening, there is nothing like the meticulous, careful work of planning, planting and caring for a garden. The creative and tactile experience of being near to nature is not only good for our well-being, but it may in fact help to relieve the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Living well includes many lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise, social contact and more. All of these can improve our cognitive health, no matter our age….

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Older woman walking down path
How MedicAlert® Safely Home® boosts independence for those with dementia

How MedicAlert® Safely Home® boosts independence for those with dementia

Betty and her daughter Eileen have worked side by side at their rural Ontario bakery for 30 years, singing and dancing as they knead dough and glaze cinnamon rolls. When Betty, 81, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seven years ago, her daughter knew the best treatment for her mom was to keep working. “Like everyone, people with Alzheimer’s want to be productive, and boy do we have that covered,” says Eileen. Her mom cuts granola bars by the hundreds –…

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Mother and daughter holding hands
After a dementia diagnosis, an easy decision to help with care

After a dementia diagnosis, an easy decision to help with care

When Moira was diagnosed with young onset dementia at the age of 51, she and her family had some difficult decisions to make. She had to take early retirement from her job as a high school math teacher in Brampton, Ontario, designate her oldest daughter and husband as primary caregivers, and enrol in a day program for people with dementia while her family is at work. But there was at least one easy decision: joining the MedicAlert® Safely Home® program,…

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Meet our Researchers: Simon Duchesne, Université Laval
Meet our Researchers: Simon Duchesne, Université Laval

Meet our Researchers: Simon Duchesne, Université Laval

As a biomedical engineer, I don’t have your typical background for someone researching Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. In fact, if you had told me 18 years ago that dementia would be my main field of research, I’d be surprised. Back then, I was most interested in diagnostic radiology—the field of medicine that uses imaging exams to aid in diagnosis—for the planning of epilepsy surgery.

Dan of Winnipeg, Manitoba
Father’s Day 2018: What Dan learned from his Dad

Father’s Day 2018: What Dan learned from his Dad

It’s been four years since my dad, Denis, passed away after living with dementia for 11 years. My family and I did everything to make sure Dad enjoyed life, first during the early stages, and later when he lived in a care home. My experiences with my father inspired me to help others learn to appreciate quality time with a family member with dementia.

Meet our Researchers: Fernanda de Felice, Queen's University
Meet our Researchers: Fernanda de Felice, Queen’s University

Meet our Researchers: Fernanda de Felice, Queen’s University

Who would I be without my memories? I consider the treatment of dementia to be one of the greatest current and future health challenges, and I am keen to find ways to protect the brain from the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. However, there’s a lot we still don’t about this disease. I think a key step is to try to diagnose the disease as early as possible before a lot of damage occurs in the brain, so you’re able…

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Mother and daughter
MedicAlert® Safely Home® gives families living with dementia peace of mind

MedicAlert® Safely Home® gives families living with dementia peace of mind

It was a cold, rainy December morning in Vancouver when paramedics spotted a woman in wet clothes, looking out of place at a bus stop. Kathryn had been missing for 27 hours by then. Her daughter had dispatched a small army of friends to look for her after she failed to come home from her walk the previous morning. “It was brutal. I thought she was dead. The paramedics brought her to the hospital and they admitted her,” recalls her…

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How to enhance safety for people with dementia
Enhancing safety for people with dementia

Enhancing safety for people with dementia

Imagine if someone you love goes missing. The worry can be agonizing. When the person has dementia, it takes it up a notch or two. That’s why MedicAlert Foundation Canada partnered with the Alzheimer Society of Canada in 2013 to help people living with dementia who are at risk of getting lost. MedicAlert’s service—along with its well-recognized engraved bracelet—was launched in 1961 to help emergency responders treat people quickly and effectively when they couldn’t speak for themselves. .

Can a concussion increase my risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?

Can a concussion increase my risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?

Did you know that head injuries, and particularly repeated concussions, may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease? A traumatic brain injury that results in the loss of consciousness has been shown to increase the risk of dementia by as much as four times [i]. According to some research, this is because head injuries may increase the levels of protein in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, such as amyloid [ii]. Who is most affected by traumatic brain…

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Leave a Legacy Month - Five ways to give back
Leave a Legacy: Five easy ways to give back

Leave a Legacy: Five easy ways to give back

Among the many ways to give back to society, donating is one of the simplest and easiest. However, you may find yourself hesitant to donate. Perhaps you believe that your donation won’t make an impact, or that you simply cannot afford to give back at this time in your life. Rest assured, this isn’t true…