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Tag: depression

Let’s talk about dementia, mental illness and mental health

Let’s talk about dementia, mental illness and mental health

The last Wednesday of January is Bell Let’s Talk Day, an initiative to encourage conversations, increase awareness and end the stigma around mental illness. One aspect of the conversation that’s not often talked about is mental health among older adults and seniors, and how this intersects with dementia. So today, let’s talk about it. Here are five things you should know about dementia, mental illness and mental health: 1) Dementia caregivers experience higher rates of depression than all other caregivers….

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Caregiver tips for the holidays
Caregiver tips for the holidays

Caregiver tips for the holidays

The leaves are changing, the days are feeling frosty, and decorations are making their way across homes and storefronts. Though the holiday season is enjoyable for many, it can be a stressful time for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease. Here are some tips that can help make the holidays more enjoyable—for everyone.
Young onset dementia
Life with young onset dementia: What you need to know

Life with young onset dementia: What you need to know

What comes to mind when you think of a person with dementia? If you’re like most people, you picture an elderly person in the later stages of the disease. But here’s the thing: dementia doesn’t just happen to older people. While age is still the biggest risk factor, people in their 50s, 40s and even 30s can also develop dementia. We call this young onset dementia and it accounts for about 2-8% of all dementia cases. Right now, 16,000 Canadians…

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Hearing loss
How tackling hearing loss could reduce your risk of dementia

How tackling hearing loss could reduce your risk of dementia

If you’re 65 or older, chances are you may have started noticing changes in your hearing: people mumbling when they talk, or needing to crank up the radio and television. Hearing loss as we age is common. But did you know that it’s also a risk factor for dementia? In a recent Lancet report which summarized nine key risk factors for dementia, hearing loss was ranked second on the list. The study found that addressing mid-life hearing loss alone could…

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Hope
Hope in the face of Alzheimer’s

Hope in the face of Alzheimer’s

One might think that having a disease with no cure wouldn’t leave a person with much hope to draw on. The truth is, if you’d asked me how I felt about the future after I was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, my answer would have been far from ‘hopeful.’ Then, one day, that changed.

I have what? Frontotemporal dementia?

I have what? Frontotemporal dementia?

As I drove us to the 9:00 a.m. meeting with Dr. Didyk a geriatrician, many thoughts ran through my head. Here we go, another appointment with another doctor. One more stupid test. I hate when they ask me to write down the clock time because I know what time it is. I’m looking forward to my Timmy’s coffee. Once Dawn and I arrived at the hospital, we grabbed a coffee and headed off to the waiting room of the gerontology…

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