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Media
Release
Nov. 5, 2006
For more information:
Patricia Wilkinson, Manager of Media Relations and Communications,
Alzheimer Society of Canada
(416)847-2959, or
1-800-616-8816
cell: 905-965-2156
PWilkinson@alzheimer.ca
Lisa Loiselle, Associate Director, Research, MAREP
(519) 888-4567, ext. 35040
loiselle@healthy.uwaterloo.ca
Fighting Back: Dementia Does Not Mean Your Life is Over
Successful forum gives people a voice to speak out
November 5, 2006 — For people with dementia, today's 'A Changing Melody' forum was a day to rise above the misconceptions sometimes associated with their disease, while at the same time inspiring each other to fight back.
The event, a learning and sharing forum for persons with early-stage dementia and their partners in care, was hosted for the third year in Toronto today, this time under the theme of Fight to Win. Organized by people with dementia for people with dementia, this unique one day forum focused on encouraging the participants to learn and share from each other, while at the same time becoming strong self-advocates.
"Opportunities like today enable us to fight a little harder to improve our own quality of life, and to show the world we, as individuals, have a place to stand and have a lot of insight to teach others. By each of us speaking out, together we will make a difference. Please don't give up!" said Elaine Smith, a person with Vascular Dementia, during her keynote address Fight Together to Win.
At the forum, participants from across Canada and the United States shared experiences about how to live with dementia, how to enhance their abilities through meaningful activities, and how to rise above misconceptions people often face after being diagnosed with dementia.
"Living with Alzheimer's is difficult…It is difficult because of others' poor knowledge and denial. It is difficult when you are no longer accepted as a person of value by people whose misconceptions are the basis of their decisions and actions. It is difficult to be written off by people because, well, you have Alzheimer's disease," said panel speaker David Knight, who, despite a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease continues to write, work as a consultant, and perform as an orchestral musician. "I have come to realize that it is not best to shy away from confronting people about their ignorance, and it is best to live to the fullest extent possible."
The importance of information was another key element to the forum, and Dr. Howard Chertkow, a cognitive neurologist and a Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, led a session entitled Empowering People with Knowledge. Dr. Chertkow, who also serves as the Director of the Bloomfield Centre for Research in Aging at McGill University, talked about current treatment options, as well as the promising research that is being conducted on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
The forum, held at The Westin Harbour Castle, was organized by the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP), a major division of the RBJ Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Faculty of Applied Health Science at the University of Waterloo, in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and the Dementia Advocacy and Support Network International.
"Individually, MAREP, the Alzheimer Society and DASNI work to help people with dementia in a variety of different ways, including education, support services, public awareness and advocacy, as well as funding and conducting research," said Sherry Dupuis, director of MAREP. "By partnering together for this unique and inspiring event and actively including persons with dementia in that process, we are able to more effectively work towards our common goal of empowering people with dementia and ultimately improve their quality of life."
Dementia is a progressive condition characterized by a decline in mental abilities and changes in personality and behaviour. Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia, accounts for about 64 per cent of those diagnosed with dementia. Currently, an estimated 420,000 Canadians over 65 have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
For more information on 'A Changing Melody', please visit www.marep.uwaterloo.ca. For more information on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, please visit www.alzheimer.ca.
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