Alzheimer Society of Ontario
Alzheimer Society of Ontario
Dementia is a growing crisis in Ontario, with over 316,000 people living with the disease today. This number is expected to double within 20 years, significantly impacting families, communities, and the healthcare system. The Alzheimer Society of Ontario stands at the forefront of providing life-changing support, education, and advocacy for those affected by dementia.
Programs like First Link® connect individuals living with dementia and their families to vital dementia education, resources, and support at the time of diagnosis or as early as possible after diagnosis, which is why the Alzheimer Society of Ontario is often among the very first calls people make after receiving a diagnosis.
Other programs, like Minds in Motion®, offer safe spaces for people living with dementia and their care partners to get active, meet new people, and feel supported in a comfortable environment. Our services reached over 70,000 people in Ontario last year, reducing social isolation and improving quality of life.
Every donation we receive makes an impact. For example, every $1,100 provides a “Circle of Care” to support one family for a year, offering counseling, education, and connection to vital community resources. Your generosity also fuels important dementia research and drives our advocacy efforts to create a more dementia-friendly Ontario.
Together with Federated Health Charities, we’re building a future where every Ontarian affected by dementia has the support they need.
Learn more about the Alzheimer Society of Ontario
Donors make everything we do possible.
Click to see video transcript
[Start of recorded material 00:00:03]
Cathy Barrick: CEO, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
The Alzheimer Society is an organization that’s across Ontario. We have twenty-six local Society’s, so they’re in communities across Ontario, and we provide no-cost programs and services for people living with dementia and their care partners. And, so, those programs can range from support groups, individual counselling, we do a lot of navigation through the health care system, social recreation – sort of across the gamut we support people who are facing this disease.
We treat all forms of dementia, so, dementia really is an umbrella term and under that umbrella term are different types of dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. But we also support anyone who has dementia of any kind. That could be vascular dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body, etc. There’s many types of dementia. We support all people who are facing issues with their cognition.
Ian Goldman: Client and Volunteer, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
My association goes back to my mum’s journey with Alzheimer’s in around 2010 when I realized I needed to get informed and understand the illness and what it could do to the individual and to the family. So I started by actually volunteering and I was fortunate to be involved in the first launch of the Minds in Motion program when it got to Alzheimer’s Toronto. And it was really worthwhile being able to participate in the sessions and see how people were fulfilled by it both people living with dementia and their care partners.
Cathy Barrick: CEO, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
More than half of what we do we would not be able to do without the support of people like Federated Health Charities. Things like individual counselling. Social recreation programs. In-home respite. Those types of programs just would not be possible without donations.
So it’s really important to receive donations so that we can continue to do the services that are not funded. But additionally the incidence of dementia is growing rapidly. We know we have an aging population. The incidence of dementia is going to double over the next twenty or so years, and so we have to expand our services. So what we’re providing today is still not enough and we’re going to have to increase. The more donations we get, the more we can expand our services and be accessible to all Ontarians.
Ian Goldman: Client and Volunteer, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
My mum was diagnosed – we were actually fortunate – the diagnosis was early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. We were fortunate because we got a quick diagnosis. Ellen had seeing signs of memory problems probably for a couple of years, and the neurologist actually said there’s something going on here. So within five months we had a diagnosis. The biggest difference that the Alzheimer’s Society has made to our lives: nuggets of knowledge that we use every day! We will actually say things to each other that we’ve learned here. We’re going to live our life. We’ve been in activities and settings, walks in High Park [Toronto] with other people living with dementia or care partners. And the choir I’d say have been the richest six-week experience for Ellen and myself. And we just completely enjoyed that choir and doing the follow-up of it afterwards. I’d say Ellen’s level of engagement in life generally has gotten back to where it used to be as a result of those six weeks with that choir.
Cathy Barrick: CEO, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
To those who donate to the Alzheimer Society through Federated Health Charities I want to say a sincere thank you! We could not do what we do without your ongoing support, and we are eternally grateful.
Ian Goldman: Client and Volunteer, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
Deepest thanks for the funds, and also for the time that you donate. For the thinking. For the effort. It’s bringing awareness to society as a whole; to people living with this rotten disease; about the disease; hoping to go forward with your lives now and as the journey continues. To know that society is going to be there for you in the future. That’s a huge hope and a huge inspiration.
[End of recorded material 00:04:22]
The Alzheimer Society of Ontario is the province’s leading care and research charity committed to helping people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Founded in 1983, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario leads a network of 26 societies across the province that offer programs and services for people living with dementia.
“Alzheimer’s disease and dementias affect not just the person with dementia, but their families, communities,” said Cathy Barrick, Chief Executive Office, Alzheimer Society of Ontario. “So, it’s really important to have a society like ours, to provide education and support, guidance, and how families can deal with this disease as it progresses.”
The work of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario focuses on four key areas: providing care support, information, and education for people living with dementia across Ontario; funding research to find a cure; educating decision-makers about the need for improved healthcare services and qualified healthcare workers to support people with dementia; and increasing the awareness of dementia and its impact on the whole family. Programs like First Link® connect individuals living with dementia and their families to vital dementia education, resources, and support at the time of diagnosis or as early as possible after diagnosis, which is why the Alzheimer Society of Ontario is often among the very first calls people make after receiving a diagnosis.
Federated Health Charities has supported the work of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario since 1986, helping to raise funds and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. There are currently more than 316,000 people living with dementia in Ontario and this number expected to more than double in the next 20 years. The work of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario is more important than ever.
You can learn more about the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and the programs they provide at the 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.
Click on the button below to make a donation to Alzheimer Society of Ontario through Federated Health Charities
For general questions:
647-278-9861
federated.health.charities
@ontario.ca
Address
315 Front St. West, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON
M7A 0B8
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For general questions:
647-278-9861
federated.health.charities@ontario.ca
Address
315 Front St. West, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON
M7A 0B8
Follow us
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