Alzheimer's Awareness Month: Advocates continue to educate public on disease

The number of people living with dementia climbs every day.

“In Canada, there’s over 500,000 Canadians living with dementia. In Canada, by 2030, we know this number is expected to grow to over 900,000,” says Michele Heyer, senior’s care chair at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont.

By extension, that means there are millions affected, as family members and caregivers watch as the disease develops in someone they know and love.

That's why Conestoga College's Canadian Remote Access for Dementia Learning Experience (CRADLE) is getting so much attention during Alzheimer's Awareness Month.

“This helps benefit the care provider because it’s going to help them provide the confidence and knowledge and skills they need to support someone living with dementia,” Heyer says.

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by complex brain changes following cell damage. It leads to dementia symptoms that gradually worsen over time.

Symptoms of the disease can be difficult to spot early in its development. They include:

• forgetfulness
• misplacing things
• getting lost going to familiar places

As dementia progresses, the signals can be more obvious, including:

• impaired judgment
• challenges with problem-solving
• difficulty completing familiar tasks
• challenges speaking or writing,
• changes in mood, behaviour, and personality

Former Daily Planet host Jay Ingram knows the signs all too well.

A number of his relatives developed dementia, including his mother.

Ingram's parents were married for over 70 years. He says for him, one of the most difficult parts of his mother's fight, was watching his father cope with her decline.

“He was constantly on the lookout for any tiny sign that she was doing better, or at least well, and that honestly could be just a twitch of the mouth. So that could be interpreted as a smile and he would take that as being a good day,” Ingram says.

That's why Ingram is lending his voice to raise awareness about the disease.

Ingram says one of the most important things is improving the quality of life for those living with dementia.

“I think the really important thing is empathy. This is somebody you love. They’re changing. They’re changing in a way that you’re not happy with and in fact, they may not be happy with,” says Ingram.