shift attitudes and make it easier to talk about dementia. Canadians are also invited to test their attitudes and perceptions in an online quiz at the Society’s website, www.alzheimer.ca/letstalkaboutdementia
“Dementia really challenges the values we hold as a society and what it means to be human,” says Mary Schulz, Director of Education at the Alzheimer Society of Canada. “We need to stop avoiding this disease and rethink how we interact with people with dementia. Only by understanding the disease and talking more openly about it, can we face our own fears and support individuals and families living with dementia.”
The number of Canadians with dementia is expected to double to 1.4 million in the next 20 years, and Anne Harrison, 60, whose husband has Alzheimer’s disease, understands what is at stake. “If people knew more about dementia, they could be more supportive. People aren’t ashamed of cancer. So, why should we be ashamed of Alzheimer’s?”
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