Palliser Primary Care Network

World Alzheimer’s Month

Lucille Grandy | Registered Nurse
September 1, 2021

September is World Alzheimer’s Month. The goal is to help raise awareness and challenge the stigma that is associated with dementia.  Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Symptoms are progressive and eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. (1)

According to the Alzheimer’s Association of Canada (2):

• Over 500,000 Canadians live with dementia.
• There are 76,000 Canadians diagnosed with dementia each year.
• 1/5 Canadians have cared for someone with dementia.

With these numbers being as high as they are, it is vital to raise awareness and start talking more openly about dementia.

Stigma is the use of negative labels to identify a person with a disability or illness. As a result of such negative labels, individuals with symptoms of Alzheimer’s may refrain from seeking medical treatment. This may lead to missing receiving an early diagnosis and interventions. The stigma associated with Alzheimer’s can also impact friendships, family relationships, and overall quality of life. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, there are 5 tips to overcome this stigma.  These are:

• be open and direct,
• communicate the facts,
• seek support and stay connected,
• don’t be discouraged, and
• become a part of the solution (3)

Working as a primary care nurse as part of a patient’s health home team, I have helped with educating patients and their loved ones, monitoring for warning signs of memory loss, and providing treatment and support options.

There are 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s that the Alzheimer’s Society lists:

1. Memory loss that affects day to day abilities
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation in time and space
5. Impaired judgment
6. Problems with abstract thinking
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood and behavior
9. Changes in personality
10. Loss of initiative (4)

Organizations like the Alzheimer Society of Canada can provide educational materials and information on support groups and services. It is equally important for a caregiver of a loved one with Alzheimer’s to participate in a support group and share their personal experiences of coping strategies and services that in the community (5,6). We still have a long way to go to removing or decreasing the stigma linked to dementia.  46% of Canadians admit they would feel ashamed or embarrassed if they had dementia (1). Let’s start talking about dementia and ensuring support is readily available.