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:
What’s happening across Ontario? Provincial social recreation programs, webinars, and more!
We're launching Catch the Ace!
Humanity in Music - A Nationwide Virtual Fundraising Music Event
Thank you for walking in the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s!
Back to Basics: What is Alzheimer’s disease and dementia?
Happy Pride Month from the Alzheimer Society!
Help Ontario PSWs get Equal Pay
University of Toronto Research: Caregivers During COVID-19
What’s happening in Ontario? Provincial social recreation programs, webinars, and more!
Webinar - Could It Be Delirium? Recognizing Dementia, Delirium or Depression in Older Adults
When: Tuesday, June 8 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Enhance your knowledge of delirium, dementia and depression and learn how to recognize and distinguish them and advocate for and support the individuals you care for.
This webinar is for family caregivers related to a person living with dementia.
To register, please visit our ONLINE LEARNING site at www.alzeducate.ca and follow the below steps:
Step 1: Access your Options
Step 2: Create an Account
Step 3: Enrol in a webinar
Classical, Folk, and Contemporary Summer Concert
When: Sunday, June 13 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Join us for a special online summer concert featuring Accordionist, Michael Bridge. This virtuosic program will feature a mix of classical, folk, and contemporary music.
Lauded as a wizard of the accordion, Michael Bridge is internationally renowned for his warm stage personality, stereotype-smashing versatility, and blazing virtuosity.
Special thank you to our partnership with Xenia Concerts and George C.Hunt Family Foundation for sponsoring this event.
Join the Alzheimer Society of London-Middlesex and Dr. Borrie for the educational session, Dementia: The Basics with Dr. Borrie. In this session, you will review the spectrum of cognitive decline and the common underlying diseases that can cause dementia.
Find out when a visit to the doctor might be warranted and what to expect. Additionally, Dr. Borrie will outline what is currently known about risk factors and what we can do to lower our risk by keeping our brains as healthy as possible. You will also here updates on research taking place and learn about opportunities to participate.
Dr. Borrie is a Geriatrician and Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, at Western University. He is the Medical Director for the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic, an investigator with the Cognitive Clinical Research Group (CCRG), and Past President of the Consortium for Canadian Centres for Clinical Cognitive Research (C5R).
Non-Impact Aerobics
When:
TUESDAYS - June 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
THURSDAYS - June 3, 10, 17 & 24 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Join us for Non-Impact Aerobics (NIA) online with Jennifer! Non-Impact Aerobics uses easy to follow movements to build strength and flexibility while conditioning your body. The sessions are adapted and sensitive to all levels of agility and are suitable for individuals who want the support of being seated throughout the class. Wear comfortable clothing and footwear.
This program is offered 2x weekly, on Tuesdays (10:00 AM to 11:00 AM) and Thursdays (11:00 AM 12:00 PM). Please sign up for your days of choice.
We are so excited to launch Catch the Ace—the Alzheimer Society's first-ever provincial online raffle.
Tickets start at $10 for 3 and provide you with a chance to win BIG in both a weekly prize and a larger progressive jackpot with 50% of all ticket sales going to the Alzheimer Society.
Purchase your tickets and choose an envelope that might contain the Ace of Spades.
Wait until the draw weekly draw every Thursday at 6:30 PM to see if your ticket is chosen. If it is, you’ll win 20% of that week’s ticket sales. If your card is the Ace of Spades, you’ll also win the Catch the Ace Progressive Jackpot.
If your card is not the Ace of Spades, the progressive jackpot will continue to grow and that card is removed from the deck, increasing the chances of catching the ace next week!
Weekly draws continue until the Ace of Spades is caught.
Hurry! Purchase your tickets before our first weekly draw on June 3 at 6:30 PM! To learn more about Catch the Ace and to purchase your tickets, go to
www.catchtheace4alz.ca.
Humanity in Music - A Nationwide Virtual Fundraising Music Event
Jasmin Uglow’s father was her hero—a musician who taught her how to love, show kindness towards others, and the power of music.
After Jasmin’s mother passed away, Jasmin’s relationship with her father grew stronger as they bonded over their love for music—like listening to Mozart and Bach. Soon after, writing and singing became an outlet for Jasmin, which helped her become the talented music artist she is today.
When Jasmin’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she became his primary caregiver and when she felt like she didn’t have anyone to help her, she turned to music and the Alzheimer Society. Through the good days and the not-so-good days, Jasmin recognized the value and the extraordinary, positive effects music had on her father. She used music as a soothing tool, to jog her father’s memories, and as a way for Jasmin herself to express her story and her emotions creatively. Alzheimer Society programs like the Music Project, counselling, and First Link were also able to help her while caring for her father, and after his passing.
While caring for her father, and after his passing, Jasmin wrote a music album that spoke to her grief. The album tells the chronological narrative of her and her father’s journey together with Alzheimer’s disease in hopes of inspiring others to want to do more to help the cause. This album laid the groundwork for the non-profit organization she founded, Humanity in Music, which focuses on bringing together various musicians to host concerts in support of a good cause.
With her non-profit, Humanity in Music, on Tuesday, September 21, Jasmin will be hosting a nationwide virtual fundraising music event on World Alzheimer’s Day in honour of people living with dementia and their journey in support of the Alzheimer Society.
To learn more about Jasmin Uglow’s story and to purchase tickets for the concert, please click here. Would you like to support the event? You can make a donation here.
Thank you for walking in the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s
We did it! Over this past month, our community worked together to show those living with dementia and their care partners that they do not walk on their journey alone.
Thank YOU for coming together and helping us raise crucial funds and awareness to meet the growing demand of life-changing programs and services that our community relies on.
Until next year!
Happy Pride Month from the Alzheimer Society!
Dementia doesn’t discriminate and neither do we.
The Alzheimer Society stands united with the LGBTQ2S+ community and continuously strives to foster an environment that is a safe space for all clients to be their true selves so they can receive the best dementia support possible.
If you are a care partner of a person living with dementia, or you are a person living with dementia, that identifies in the LGBTQ2S+ community, there are many resources available to you such as:
Back to Basics: What is Alzheimer’s disease and dementia?
We all forget things, experience changes in our mood, or mix-up our words from time-to-time, but when this begins to affect our day-to-day functioning, it could be a sign of dementia.
Dementia is a broad term that describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss, changes in mood, and difficulties with thinking, problem solving, and language. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by disease or a series of strokes. There are many diseases which can cause dementia, with Alzheimer’s being the most common.
To learn more about dementia, the difference between normal aging and dementia, and the importance of an early diagnosis, and how the Alzheimer Society can help, click here to download our What is dementia? resource.
PSWs should be paid the same wage no matter where they choose to work, but PSWs in home and community care are the lowest paid in the entire Ontario health system.
PSWs that work in home and community care allow the most vulnerable to:
live safely in their homes
avoid hospitalization
and delay admission into long-term care.
Sign our petition to send a strong message to the Ontario government that PSWs in home and community care should be just as valued as those in other sectors and deserve increased wages.
University of Toronto Research: Caregivers During COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, caregivers may be presented with unique experiences related to social isolation, physical distancing, and disruption of daily lives.
2 University of Toronto masters entry-level occupational therapy students, along with their research supervisors, are looking to speak with paid and unpaid caregivers of a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease to learn about their experiences participating in daily life activities during the pandemic.
Who are we looking for?
Paid and/or unpaid caregivers of a person living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
A caregiver of a person with dementia for at least 1 year prior to the onset of the pandemic.
Are 18 years or older
Can participate in an English-language interview
Have access to a telephone OR Zoom video conferencing
What will you be asked to do?
Participate in two virtual interviews on Zoom or via telephone, each approximately 60 minutes. Each interview will be audio recorded and transcribed.
Participation in the study is voluntary. Our intent is to publish the findings in an academic journal. No information will be published that will identify you, and your participation will remain confidential.
If you are interested in participating in this study, or have any additional questions, please contact Courtney Palmer or Natalia Drabicka at caregivercovid@gmail.com or Jane Davis at mja.davis@utoronto.ca or 416-978-4262.
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.
Our mailing address is:
20 Eglinton Ave. W., 16th floor
Toronto, ON M4R 1K8 communications@alzon.ca
