January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
Together with the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, Federated Health Charities are on a mission to increase awareness about Canadians’ brain health and dementia risk. Increasing our awareness and understanding of Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia is the first step to fighting stigma, advocating for change, and supporting Canadians who are living with dementia.
More than half a million Canadians live with dementia today, and that number is expected to grow to almost one million Canadians within 10 years. While there are more than 25 different diseases and conditions that can cause dementia, such as vascular dementia or mixed dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is still the most common cause of dementia in Canada and there is no cure.
The Alzheimer Society of Ontario provides support, education, and information resources to people and families affected by dementia, through programs such as First Link. The First Link program connects people recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and their families with the help they need as soon as possible. Getting the right support after receiving a diagnosis can make a big difference in the quality of life for both the person with dementia and the people helping to care for them.
If you or someone you care for are living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, the First Link program can connect you and your family with your local Alzheimer Society programs and other community services to help prepare for the journey ahead. To get started with the First Link program, please visit FirstLinkOntario.ca.
Whether you’re caring for older adults or concerned about your brain health, it’s important to know the warning signs of dementia so you can ensure an early diagnosis. Here are the 10 most common warning signs for dementia:
- Memory changes that affect your day-to-day abilities, like forgetting things often or struggling to retain new information
- Forgetting how to do a typical routine or task, such as preparing a meal or getting dressed
- Changes in language and communication, like forgetting words or substituting words that don’t fit into a conversation
- Disorientation, like having trouble knowing what day of the week it is or getting lost in a familiar place
- Trouble recognizing something that can put your or someone else’s health and safety at risk
- Problems understanding what numbers and symbols mean
- Misplacing things, like putting your wallet in the freezer or your shoes in the oven
- Severe changes in mood, personality, and behaviour
- Losing interest in friends, family, and favourite activities
- Trouble with vision, depth perception, and movement, like setting a cup down correctly
If you are concerned about any of these signs, the next step is to talk to your doctor. Only a qualified healthcare provider, after multiple assessments and tests, can confirm whether you or someone you know has dementia.
While there are certain risk factors for dementia, like age and genetics, that you can’t control, taking care of your overall health by staying active, socializing with family and friends, eating a healthy diet, and managing stress also helps reduce your risk of dementia. Challenging your brain regularly by learning new things, picking up new hobbies, playing games, particularly games where you interact with other people (yes, that includes video games), visiting a museum or a concert—even doing things that you’re not good at—can help reduce your risk of dementia.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, programs and services to help people living with dementia, and people caring for people with dementia, get the support they need most, please visit Programs and Services | Alzheimer Society of Ontario.
Donate to Federated Health Charities today to support a healthier Ontario and bring us closer to a world without Alzheimer’s disease.