A senior care expert busted some myths and misconceptions about Alzheimer’s Disease Wednesday morning for World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
“Something like 350 people a day in Canada are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia,” senior care expert Greg Charyna said.
There are 679,000 Canadians currently living with dementia and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada said they believe that number will rise to just under one million by 2030.
Charyna said some people have a difficult time differentiating daily forgetfulness from memory loss linked to the disease.
“It’s memory loss that disrupts normal, daily life, challenges in solving problems, doing things logically, sequentially, and doing very familiar tasks — if we lose that ability, that is also a pretty good indicator.”
He said another common misconception is that the disease is only found in older adults; it can appear in younger individuals as well.
Charyna added that fortunately, there are preventive methods to battle the onset of dementia.
“Brain health is something that we can all do and find some benefits.”
Charyna said things like regular exercise, a healthy diet and adequate sleep can all help maintain a healthy brain.
Home Instead Saskatoon, which provides home care services, will be soon offering a webinar that will walk family members and caregivers through a number of teaching points to consider when it comes to their own brain health and caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
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