September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an opportunity to raise awareness of dementia and challenge the stigma associated with it. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia. It is estimated that 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia, and that number is predicted to triple, rising to 152 million by 2050. In Canada alone, more than 402,000 people 65 years old and over live with dementia.
Early diagnosis of dementia is important for life planning, as well as for learning about and accessing the best available treatments. Supporting caregivers of loved ones with dementia is important as the emotional and physical demands can be enormous. Fortunately, there are multicomponent strategies that can be used to support family caregivers, allowing them to care for themselves while continuing to care for their loved ones.
Are you a caregiver looking for helpful resources?
The job of a caregiver to someone with dementia can be an emotional rollercoaster. It can also be time-consuming and costly. There are often many challenging behaviours associated with dementia including, but not limited to agitation, aggression, wandering, and resistance to care. The good news is, non-drug approaches for people with dementia, supported by recent high-quality research may help. Although caring for a loved one can be all-encompassing, it is important to take care of yourself.
Are you interested in learning more about dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease?
You can browse the content below to see what the research says about things like cholesterol-lowering drugs and whether they can prevent dementia, exercise, and dementia, diagnosing dementia, and more. You can also watch highlights from a public talk we hosted with Jay Ingram and Dr. Christopher Patterson on “The Science of Alzheimer's: Where Are We Going?”. If you know someone who would benefit from trustworthy resources on the topic, be sure to share with them too!
