No One Should Go Through Dementia Alone

Connecting people living with dementia to a community of support

Facing a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia can feel overwhelming. Dementia is devastating not just to the individual, but to family and friends who provide caregiving support. We make sure that no one has to struggle alone. The Alzheimer’s Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories provides community-based support for people with dementia and their families. Even through the global pandemic, we ensured that people throughout our region had access to the education and support needed to manage their disease, assert their rights, and live well with dementia. Our online community provides a platform for anyone to access support services, while our regional offices connect families to resources in their own communities.

Background

Right now, more than half a million Canadians are living with Alzheimer's and other dementias, and over 50,000 of those Canadians live in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This number is set to rise, with current estimates showing that almost one million Canadians will be living with dementia by 2031. We know that dementia doesn't just impact the individual. For every person diagnosed, there's a network of family and other caregivers who are impacted by these progressive and currently incurable diseases. Canadians spend more than $10.4 billion per year to care for family members living with dementia, but the cost is not just financial. There's a serious emotional toll for families as they navigate emerging symptoms and consider how to make decisions around care. That's where we come in. The Alzheimer Society provides support services that breathe hope into a dementia diagnosis, giving the people in our communities the tools they need to make decisions around their care and live well with dementia.

The good deed

Your GOOD DEED helps the Alzheimer Society bring one-on-one care to families who are living with dementia. You’ll help us host more than 60 annual support group meetings, making sure that almost 1,000 people can connect and share their stories. You'll help us provide nearly 200 annual presentations for education and awareness. You’ll help us train volunteers who can reach out to families in even the most remote areas, build partnerships with healthcare professionals, and fund research to improve outcomes for people with dementia worldwide. Alzheimer's and other dementias are not going away any time soon. People living with dementia and their caregivers need to have somewhere that they can turn for support. With your help, we can continue to build a network of supportive communities in our region.