Alzheimer Society of OntarioAlzheimer Society - Connexion
December 2020 - Holiday Issue
Hello, Friend!
We hope this newsletter finds you well. During this time, our phone lines remain open. If you need to reach our counselling staff, or have questions about programs and services, please call 416-967-5900.
We also invite you to keep checking the online portal to learn about upcoming online events and programs. You will also be able to catch up on any newsletters you may have missed.
Happy reading!
In this edition:
Give the Gift of Connection for Giving Tuesday!
Our Connected Partner: ProMIS Neurosciences
Register for U-First!® for Care Partners
Online Programs & Webinars
Survey: Help Us Understand the Care You Receive from your Family Physician
Research Study: Out-of-Pocket Costs and Consequences of Unpaid Caregiving
Tips for Care Partners: Managing Holiday Stress & Gift Ideas
Happy Holidays from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario
Give the Gift of Connection for Giving Tuesday!
It’s Giving Tuesday!
Like us, people living with dementia have faced many challenges this year with social isolation, physical distancing, and the inability to see their loved ones, however the reality of social isolation isn’t anything new and is something those touched by dementia have always experienced.
Giving Tuesday is the largest day of global giving where people give back to the charities they hold near and dear to their heart, and we hope that for you, this includes the Alzheimer Society.
This year when you give on Giving Tuesday, or any other day, you will help send an important message that helps people living with dementia understand they are not alone during these trying times, want them to receive the support and connections they need most, and ultimately, help find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Do you want to do more than donate to support Giving Tuesday? If so, join Steve McNeil and complete the #1926challenge!
“I’ve had such a hard time trying to secure ice for the #1926skate. . . all I can think about is how difficult it must be for people living with dementia and their families to get access to the resources they need to live comfortably every day during the pandemic.” - Steve McNeil
From today until the day of Steve’s Skate on December 15 at 8:00 a.m., join Steve by raising awareness for people living with dementia and the #1926skate on social media by completing a timed challenge for 19 minutes and 26 seconds!
Whether you make a gift today for Giving Tuesday or participate in the #1926challenge, the people living with dementia in your community will be so thankful this holiday season.
Our Connected Partner: ProMIS Neurosciences
We are thrilled to have ProMIS Neurosciences as an Alzheimer Society connected partner.
ProMIS Neursciences is advancing a future where we can predict, treat, and prevent #AlzheimersDisease. With their proprietary drug discovery and development platform that has created a novel antibody candidate for Alzheimer’s disease, they continue to lead the way with generation therapies like PMN310.
Click here to read Dr. Neil Cashman’s perspective on #aducanumab’s latest development and what it means for generation therapies like PMN310.
You can also check out ProMIS Neurosciences podcast Saving Minds on Apple Podcasts where Dr. Elliot Goldstein and Shanti Skiffington discuss the future of medicine for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases with the world’s leading researchers. Check out the podcast here.
Register for U-First!® for Care Partners
When: December 7, 14, and 21, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Note: You must attend all three sessions)
U-First!® for Care Partners is a new education program for family and friends who are providing direct support to someone experiencing behaviour changes as a result of dementia or other cognitive impairment.
This 6-hour education program will help you to:
Enhance well-being of care partners and of the person they are supporting who is experiencing behaviour changes
Reduce responsive behaviours by using the U-First!® framework
Improve collaboration among all team members through a common knowledge, language and approach to care.
There is no cost to attend this program. For more information and to register, click here.
Online Programs & Webinars
Join the Boomers Club for an Evening of Holiday Music!
When: December 9, from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Get in the mood for the holidays with some classic melodies and the soothing vocal sounds of one our favorite performers, Emilio Zarris!
The Boomers Club focuses on wellness for people with Early Onset Dementias (under age 65) and their care partners. In this online series, we will be creating informal connections among people who are on the same journey while engaging in a variety of recreational activities including art, games, exercise, food, social chats and more. The program is flexible and can be modified based on the needs and interests of the group participants.
Join us for this special online concert featuring musicians, Rebekah Wolkstein and Drew Jurecka. Together, Rebekah and Drew will perform a program featuring a mix of genres including jazz, tango, and classical music. They will perform on a variety instruments including the violin, bandoneon, and hardanger fiddle.
This program will be held on Zoom. Click here to register and receive the Zoom link to participate.
Special thank you to our partnership with Xenia Concerts and George C. Hunt Family Foundation for sponsoring this event.
Virtual Art Talks with Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
When: December 15, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Do you want a more in-depth experience of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)? The AGO offers engaging small group virtual art talks for Alzheimer Society Toronto. The AGO will help you explore their collection through conversation, exchanging ideas and observations about the selected artworks. This is a one-hour virtual art talk hosted on Zoom.
The program is designed for people living with dementia and their caregivers. The art talk is facilitated by an experienced AGO Art Educator and is assisted by Alzheimer Society of Toronto’s volunteers.
For care partners of individuals living with dementia in mid-to-late stages. Explore the concept of ambiguous loss, develop coping strategies and gain understanding of feelings of grief when caring for a person with dementia.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the concept of Ambiguous Loss
Recognize the uniqueness and complexity of Ambiguous Loss
Explore concepts for learning to live with Ambiguous Loss
Develop an understanding of supportive services in the community
To register and receive the Zoom link to participate, click here.
Webinar: Dementia and COVID-19 Strategies for Caregivers
Date: December 15, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
This webinar will focus on providing family care partners with strategies to providing care while in times of social isolation. It will also highlight important COVID-19 precautions and guidelines along with the implications in caring for someone living with dementia.
To register, please go to our online learning centre at www.alzeducate.ca.
Survey: Help Us Understand the Care You Receive from your Family Physician
Your input is needed!
The Alzheimer Society of Canada, in partnership with the College of Family Physicians of Canada, is asking you to participate in this 20-minute survey to help us understand your experience with the care you receive from your family physician or other healthcare provider.
Your experience is essential for us to design and develop new dementia care resources so family physicians can better support people and their caregivers through the dementia journey.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada will be also be able to create culturally specific dementia tools so we can address the gaps in supports and services for diverse communities.
There are two surveys: one for people living with dementia and one for caregivers of people with dementia.
To visit the site to download a PDF of the survey, please click here.
You can also visit the website to upload your PDF; just scroll to the bottom of the screen to see the upload section.
Thank you so much for your input!
Research Study: Out-of-Pocket Costs and Consequences of Unpaid Caregiving
A research study out of the University of Toronto is looking for survey participants who can complete a 15-30 minute survey that explores the out-of-pocket (non-reimbursed) expenses that unpaid caregivers in Ontario pay while caring for someone living at home, the consequences of these costs on overall income, health, and employment, and how these care expenses have been impacted by COVID-19.
For more information on how to participate and if you are eligible, please click here.
Please note that the deadline to participate is December 31, 2020.
Tips for Care Partners: Managing Holiday Stress & Celebration Ideas
Making the holidays meaningful for a person living with dementia, as well as creating an environment that minimizes the mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion that comes along with being a care partner can be a challenge, and even more so this year with the pandemic. The holidays can bring additional feelings of stress, so to help you create meaningful holiday celebrations for the person you care for, and help you feel less overwhelmed, we have put together some tips that you can implement this holiday season!
Do only the occasions and traditions that are most important to you and your family like watching holiday movies, listening to holiday music, or decorating cookies!
Keep celebrations short.
Involve the person living with dementia in the preparations and decorating.
Happy Holidays from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario
From our family at the Alzheimer Society of Ontario to yours, we wish you the very best this Holiday season! Thank you for your dedicated support this year!
People living with Alzheimer’s and dementia are especially vulnerable at this time, if you are able to, please consider supporting the essential services and programs that benefit this community.
