MINDEMOYA—As the population continues to grow older, with advances in medicine and greater lifestyle awareness taking hold, incidents of dementia are becoming a greater reality for many families. January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and the Alzheimer Society Sudbury-Manitoulin North Bay and Districts is holding a Circle of Hope meeting on January 27 at the Mindemoya Hall (6032 Highway 542) to help bring a greater awareness of the condition to the community.
Currently, there are over 747,000 Canadians living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia and that number is expected to skyrocket to 1.4 million by the year 2020. Adding to that, Alzheimer’s is not only a disease that effects the elderly, as more than 71,000 Canadians under the age of 65 are living with dementia today.
Women represent 72 percent of Canadians living with Alzheimer’s and women account for 70 percent of family caregivers, noted Alzheimers Society’s Mariette Kozick during a presentation at last year’s Circle of Hope. “A woman’s chance of developing Alzheimer’s is now greater than her chance of developing breast cancer,” she said.
Dementia is a terrifying condition, often stripping its sufferers of memories, comprehension and judgment of loved ones, preventing their ability to maintain an independent lifestyle.
There is an economic impact as well. In 2011, caregivers put in 87.1 million hours and, by the year 2020, that number is expected to grow to over 144 million, according to Ms. Kozick, “that is a 65 percent increase.”
The stress level for families dealing with a sufferer of dementia is 23 percent higher than that of caregivers of those without dementia and the stress on the health system is also dramatic. “People with dementia receive 75 percent more informal care and 45 percent more formal care than homecare recipients without dementia,” noted Ms. Kozick.
The Circle of Hope will begin with registration at 11 am, followed by the first presentation ‘Living Well with Dementia’ starting at 11:30 am. Lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 pm will be followed by a presentation by guest speaker Dr. Guy Proulx.
Dr. Guy Proulx, Ph.D., C. Psych, is a full professor at York University’s Glendon Campus. Dr. Proulx specializes in the assessment and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders in people who have strokes and dementias and he integrates neuropsychological approaches to help minimize disability due to cognitive disorders.
To register for the Circle of Hope, please contact Alison Sloss or Dana Crane at 705-524-2024, ext. 402 or 401 or by email at dcrane@alzheimersudbury.ca. Admission is $20 for students and seniors and $25 for general admission.
