Alzheimer’s Society Huron Perth offers programs to educate on dementia and support the community
- Alex Hunt
- Oct 2
- 2 min read
Early intervention and public education are key in helping people recognize signs of dementia and connect with the support they need.
The Alzheimer’s Society Huron Perth will be offering its autumn programming with a focus on Dementia Basics, an online educational session designed to inform the public on the functions of dementia. Topics will range from early warning signs, disease stigma as well as support and care.
“Dementia Basics is great for educating people on early signs of dementia such as when people should be concerned and when they shouldn’t,” said Jeanette Sears, public education coordinator at the Alzheimer's Society Huron Perth.
“If people start having memory issues that affect their day to day lives and that might be more of a concern. People with dementia might not be able to put certain cues together, they might forget to feed their pet and have trouble getting ready for the day.”
Sears said that people living with dementia may experience changes in personality, they might be suspicious. People might also struggle with tasks they’ve performed many times before.
Often, a family member notices these changes first, before the individual does. Someone with dementia might believe they are completing everyday tasks, like doing laundry, even if they haven’t done them in years.
Sears continues by saying that If people are experiencing cognitive problems, they should reach out to primary care providers. In the early stages it’s worth a talk to their family doctor because it could be coming from something else like thyroid issues or diabetes, same can be said with people recovering from a stroke.
“People commonly ask what the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia and that’s what we aim to correct,” said Sears.
“Dementia is the overall umbrella term and Alzheimer's is one of the most common types of dementia. They are all chronic and progressive, it’s hard.”
Sears says the community needs to focus on being supportive due to the number of people living with dementia which continues to rise.
With more residents over the age of 65 than ever before, interactions with people experiencing dementia whether at the gym, grocery store, or within families and neighborhoods. She emphasizes that understanding and awareness can help communities respond better, even though it isn’t always easy.
“We need to support communication difficulties and be patient with people because you never know what cognitive struggles they might be dealing with,” said Sears.
“This affects our community already and will continue to affect it going forward.”
The Alzheimer's Society Huron Perth is hosting two zoom education sessions on Oct. 10 about dementia warning signs which will run from Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m., while Types of Dementia follows Oct. 27 to Oct 28.
For more information visit alzheimer.ca/huronperth
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