Shows
Dementia DialogueComment reconnaître et briser le cycle de pensées négativesNotre série de balados qui s’adresse spécifiquement aux francophones du Canada, vise à inspirer, informer et aider à réduire la stigmatisation entourant les troubles neurocognitifs majeurs.
Dans ce balado, nous apprenons comment nos pensées influencent notre bien-être et comment briser le cycle de pensées négatives qui nous empêchent de vivre notre vie pleinement.
Notre invitée est Mireille Huneault, responsable des services en français pour l’Association canadienne pour la santé mentale pour la région de Durham en Ontario. Mireille est également instructrice certifiée...2024-08-2926 minDementia DialogueGrand-friends: Part 3 of Intergenerational Engagement seriesIn this continuation of the Intergenerational Engagement series, host Lisa Loiselle speaks with Dana Zummach and Kate Dupuis.
Kate Dupuis is the Schlegel Innovation Leader in Arts and Aging at Sheridan College and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging. She is based at the Sheridan Centre for Elder Research in Oakville, Ontario and is a Professor in Sheridan’s Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies. After receiving her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Toronto, Kate completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Health and Hearing Services programs at Baycrest and became reg...2024-07-1740 minDementia DialogueBalado sur Les Cafés Mémoire de la Nouvelle-ÉcosseBalado sur Les Cafés Mémoire de la Nouvelle-Écosse
Dans ce balado, nous allons en apprendre un peu plus sur les Cafés Mémoire. Les Cafés Mémoire ont été créés dans les années 1990, par un psychologue néerlandais, dans le but de briser l’isolation et la stigmatisation des personnes vivant avec des troubles neurocognitifs majeurs en créant des occasions de rencontre et d’échange pour les personnes âgées et leurs proches aidants.
Notre invitée, l’artiste néo-écossaise Élizabeth Sircom, est la Conseillère artistique provinciale des...2024-05-1624 minDementia Dialogue"It Started with Oma"In this episode of Dementia Dialogue titled, ‘It Started with Oma,’ the second in a series of conversations about Intergenerational Engagement, host, Lisa Loiselle speaks with Matthew Vorstermans and Ann-Marie Kungl.
Matthew lives in Creemore, Ontario, and spends his time volunteering. For many years he has supported residents at a local nursing home, reading to children at the public library and most passionately, volunteering to support those living with dementia.
Matthew got involved in intergenerational activities as a young grandson whose Oma was living with dementia in another country. Since then he has...2024-04-2229 minDementia DialogueLe rôle important des aidants et des ressources communautaires pour les personnes atteintes de troubles neurocognitifs majeurs.Originaire de la péninsule Acadienne, Marie-Paule B.-Leblanc habite aujourd’hui à Moncton où elle occupe le poste de Coordonnatrice des événements et philanthropie pour la Société Alzheimer du Nouveau-Brunswick.
C’est une cause qui lui tient à cœur puisqu’elle est proche aidante pour son père qui vit avec la maladie d’Alzheimer.
Ensemble nous avons parlé de son rôle de proche aidante, de l’importance d’accéder aux ressources disponibles, et de la marche annuelle pour l’Alzheimer IG Gestion de Patrimoine.
Link : Lien pour s’inscrire à La marche pour l’Alzheim...2024-04-1923 minDementia DialogueEsprit en actionNos invitées pour ce balado sont Josée Desrochers-Leduc et Gisèle Charbonneau. Josée est Coordonnatrice en éducation à la Société Alzheimer de Cornwall et région; Gisèle, pour sa part, est proche aidante pour sa sœur aînée atteinte de troubles de mémoire et d’anxiété.
Ensemble nous avons parlé du programme Esprit en actionMD - connu en anglais sous le nom Minds in Motion©. Grâce à ce programme, la personne atteinte de troubles neurocognitifs et son proche aidant peuvent participer à des activités physiques et sociales centrées sur le développement des c...2024-03-2617 minDementia DialogueMind over Matter: Game ChangerOn this episode of Dementia Dialogue, "Mind over Matter: Game Changer" we speak with Caroline Cameron, host of Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey on Sportsnet. Caroline shares her experience and connection to her grandmother, who lived with dementia, why she feels it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and why it is never too early to start caring, as well as some insight to what routines she does to reduce her risk of developing the disease.
Biography for Caroline Cameron:
Caroline Cameron is a Canadian television sportscaster known for her role as host of S...2024-03-2017 minDementia DialogueCircle of Music in Kitchener-WaterlooIn this episode, Lisa Loiselle speaks to a group of people involved in the Circle of Music, an intergenerational choir for people living with dementia, their care partner, and local high school students in Kitchener-Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario.
2024-02-2738 minDementia DialogueL’importance de la communautéOn parle souvent de l’importance du soutien de la communauté pour mieux vivre avec un trouble neurocognitif. C’est ce dont nous parle Maria Lepage une franco-saskatchewanaise bien impliquée dans sa communauté qui veille sur son mari, Henri, atteint de la maladie d’Alzheimer.
2024-02-0931 minDementia DialogueConversations That Matter: Talking About Dying and DementiaIn the third and final podcast of our series on Dying and Dementia, we met with Dr. Kathy Kortes-Miller, MSW, PhD., author of Talking About Death Won’t Kill You. Kathy is an associate professor in the School of Social Work and the Director of the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada. She is the Lakehead University Research Chair on Aging and End of Life and is committed to improving the care provided at the bedside and in the community. She has a passion for palliative care and improving end...2024-01-1917 minDementia DialogueLes defis de la proche aidance a distanceComment aider un proche atteint d’un trouble neurocognitif majeur quand on habite à plus de 5,000 kilomètres dans une région éloignée des grands centres urbains? Pour en apprendre plus sur cette problématique, j’ai interviewé deux Yukonnais : Sandra St-Laurent et Paul Davis.
Sandra est Québécoise de naissance et Franco-yukonnaise d’adoption. Elle est arrivée au Yukon, il y a plus de 25 ans, et est tombée en amour avec la région et ses habitants. Sandra a été proche aidante à deux reprises. La première fois, c’était il y a environ 17 ans, lorsque s...2023-11-2437 minDementia DialogueL’approche par le plaisirNos invitées pour ce balado sont Hélène Carbonneau, professeure au Département d’études en loisir, culture et tourisme à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières et Sandra Harrisson, professeure agrégée à l’École des sciences infirmières de la Faculté des sciences de la santé de l’Université d’Ottawa.
Hélène et Sandra collaborent depuis plusieurs années maintenant à l’élaboration d’un cadre plus humain pour les services et les soins des personnes atteintes de troubles de mémoire. Ce cadre, qu’elles appellent l’approche par le plaisir©, optimise la qualité de vie des clients en m...2023-11-2449 min
Dementia DialogueVivre le moment present et profiter de la vieMarie-Reine et André sont tous deux natifs du Caire, en Égypte. Ils ont émigré au Canada en 1970 et habitent dans la région d’Ottawa. C’est là qu’ils ont fait leur carrière et élevé leur famille.
Il y a environ trois ans, André a été diagnostiqué avec la maladie à corps de Lewy, une forme de trouble neurocognitif qui partage de nombreuses similitudes avec la maladie de Parkinson.
Lors de notre rencontre, nous avons parlé du diagnostic d’André, de l’impact de ce trouble neurocognitif sur leur vie et des efforts qu’ils font, chaqu...2023-11-2419 minDementia DialogueDying & Dementia: Let’s Talk About ItWe continue our series on Dying and Dementia, with Ron Posno. Ron lives with Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular dementia. He shares his experience of living with dementia, why he thinks having conversations about our own death is important and what this means for him as someone living with dementia. Ron has been an advocate of access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for people living with dementia. We talk about what a highly personal decision this is and why, for Ron, his wish is to access MAID when his disease progresses, if it is available to him.
2023-11-2219 minDementia DialogueDemystifying Dying: Stories from a Death DoulaIn this episode, the first in a new series on Dying and Dementia, guest host Jillian McConnell, Knowledge Translation Specialist with the brainXchange, sits down with Anne Marie Stoneburgh a Death Doula. Many people avoid this topic in our death-averse society and yet we are all “living while we are dying”. Annie explains what a Death Doula, or End-of-Life Care Facilitator is and the role they might play in supporting individuals and families through the dying process. The stories she shares highlight the importance of having conversations early and often about dying. By talking about our wishes with the peop...2023-10-1437 minDementia DialogueDementia and Indigenous Communities Part 2: A cultural perspective of dementia and dementia careIn this second of 2 episodes which marks The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Lisa Loiselle talks with Laura Alfaro and Danielle Alcock who both work in Indigenous health and were involved in the Circle of Care, which is a project that addresses the needs of Indigenous caregivers of people living with dementia. Laura was the project officer at the Native Women’s Association of Canada leading the project and Danielle facilitated the talking circles during the program. Danielle has also been a caregiver to her father for the past ten years.
In part 1, Laura and Danielle lai...2023-09-3031 minDementia DialogueTaking it to the Streets: Reimagining DementiaThis episode is a reprise of Episode #41 and features a conversation Lisa Loiselle had with Mike Belleville and Mary Fridley of the Reimagine Dementia - A Creative Coalition for Justice
The reprise honours the launch of its "Taking it to the Streets" Campaign to
“Shatter the silence about dementia
Creatively transform the journey of dementia for everyone
Build a world (and systems of care) in which diagnosis is not the end of life, but a starting point for joy, humanity, growth and new possibilities"
To learn more about the Coaliti...2023-09-1530 minDementia DialogueDementia and Indigenous Communities Part 1: A cultural perspective of dementia and dementia careIn this 2-part podcast Lisa Loiselle talks with Laura Alfaro and Danielle Alcock who both work in Indigenous health and were involved in the Circle of Care, which is a project that addresses the needs of Indigenous caregivers of people living with dementia. Laura was the project officer at the Native Women’s Association of Canada leading the project and Danielle facilitated the talking circles during the program. Danielle has also been a caregiver to her father for the past ten years.
In part 1, Laura and Danielle lay the groundwork for understanding dementia and the caregiving role fro...2023-09-0527 minDementia DialogueRuth and Maggie’s StoryIn this episode, Pat Shanahan speaks with Maggie Perquin. Maggie retired early from teaching to become the carer for her wife Ruth who have been together for 27 years, married for 15 of those and between them they have 15 grandchildren. Ruth, also a retired teacher, had been struggling with cognitive issues for about 8 years when she was finally diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2018.
Following the diagnosis, Ruth and Maggie connected with the Alzheimer Society Southwestern Partners. While they were well received as a same-sex couple, they realized they were the only out participants in their group. Maggie approached the Alzh...2023-08-0934 minDementia Dialogue2SLGBTQI & Dementia:From Research to ActionArne Stinchcombe chats with researchers doing work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+) persons with dementia and carers. Jason Flatt is an Assistant Professor in the Social and Behavioral Health Program at the University of Nevada (Las Vegas) School of Public Health. Jason discusses how he got involved in dementia research and some of the concerns of 2SLGBTQI+ persons with dementia in their caregivers. He also makes the case for why sexual and gender diversity are important considerations within dementia research.
Celeste Pang (Senior Research Officer, Egale Canada) and Ashley Flanagan (Research Fellow...2023-07-1631 minDementia DialogueModèles novateurs de résidences pour aînés vivant avec un trouble neurocognitif majeur: Conversation avec le professeur Philippe VoyerPour ce dernier épisode de notre deuxième saison, nous avons eu une conversation fascinante sur les nouveaux modèles de résidences pour aînés vivant avec un trouble neurocognitif majeur avec le professeur Philippe Voyer.
Comment est-ce qu’on peut repenser nos modèles de résidences pour les rendre plus accueillantes pour les aînés atteints de trouble de mémoire et leurs familles? Quels sont les détails auxquels il faut penser lors de la planification des différentes pièces qui composent une résidence pour aînés vivant avec un trouble neu...2023-06-1341 min
Dementia DialogueRainbow Wing in LTC and Emotion Based Care for 2SLGBTQ ResidentsIn this episode, Pat Shanahan speaks with Barbara Machalik and Mary Connell. Barbara is the Executive Director of Academics, Community Relations and Programming at the Long Term Care homes operated by the Rekai Centres at Wellesley Central Place and Sherbourne Place in downtown Toronto. Barbara tells us about the planning and launch of the Rainbow Wing at their Wellesley location in 2022. The Wing is a pod of 25 resident rooms for members of the 2SLGBTQ communities but contains common space available to all the residents of the facility who are allies or are also members of the 2SLGBTQ communities.
2023-06-0636 minDementia DialogueLes défis de la proche aidance à distanceComment aider un proche atteint d’un trouble neurocognitif majeur quand on habite à plus de 5,000 kilomètres dans une région éloignée des grands centres urbains? Pour en apprendre plus sur cette problématique, j’ai interviewé deux Yukonnais : Sandra St-Laurent et Paul Davis.
Sandra est Québécoise de naissance et Franco-yukonnaise d’adoption. Elle est arrivée au Yukon, il y a plus de 25 ans, et est tombée en amour avec la région et ses habitants. Sandra a été proche aidante à deux reprises. La première fois, c’était il y a environ 17 ans, lorsque so...2023-05-2937 minDementia DialogueSeason 5: Ep. 60 Dementia SisterhoodAfter listening to a group of women living with dementia talk about their group, Dementia Sisterhood, if you are interested, contact Dr. Elaine Wiersma at ewiersma@lakeheadu.ca. They meet virtually via Zoom to share their lives, support one another and derive encouragement from the solidarity they experience
You may want to check out our series on Women & Dementia https://www.dementiadialogue.ca/women--dementia and listen to other episodes on this theme and check out the resources below
A short video called “Women with Dementia Living Strong”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG8BKSy...2023-05-1533 minDementia DialogueSaison2 Episode 3 Accompagner un proche dans une démarche d’aide médicale à mourirNative de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue dans la province de Québec, Annie Bourret habite en Colombie-Britannique depuis près de 30 ans.
Au printemps 2019, la mère d’Annie, l’autrice québécoise Anne-Michèle Lévesque, subit un AVC qui la laisse avec des séquelles : des troubles de mémoire, perte de langage, fatigue mentale et physique. Elle quitte donc le Québec et s’installe chez sa fille à Ashcroft en Colombie-Britannique. Son état de santé se détériore rapidement, les problèmes s’accumulent; si bien qu’en juin 2020, Mme Lévesque demande l’aide médicale à mourir. Annie...2023-04-1142 minDementia DialogueSeason 5: Episode 59- DREAM -Dementia Resources on eating, activity and meaningful inclusion-Lisa Loiselle speaks with Laura Middleton and Bill Heibein about the DREAM (Dementia Resources on eating, activity, and meaningful inclusion) project. Laura Middleton is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo whose work looks at the role of physical activity and other lifestyle strategies like healthy eating, and social engagement in promoting the well-being of people living with dementia, as well as reducing the risk of dementia..
Bill Heibein has lived with a diagnosis of dementia for 24 years. He lives near Thunder Bay and owns and operates a farm. He has been involved in many research p...2023-04-0527 minDementia DialogueSeason 5: Episode- 58 Community partners and their journey of discussion of inclusionIn the second part of the Community Engagement series, we meet Andréa Monteiro, a researcher, educator, nurse, documentary filmmaker and social justice advocate. Her father lived his final years with dementia. As the community research coordinator, Andrea walked alongside community partners, witnessing, dialoguing, and serving as a sounding board for different communities and groups discussing inclusion and witnessing questions that are unique to each. Andréa shares her experience working with communities and some challenges she witnessed.
https://www.buildingcapacityproject.com/
https://www.flippingstigma.com/
2023-03-1423 minDementia DialogueSaison 2 Episode2: Canada Proche Allié AlzheimerDans cet épisode, Dre Nouha Ben Gaied – Directrice en recherche et développement et qualité des services à la Fédération québécoise des Sociétés Alzheimer – nous parle du projet Canada proche allié Alzheimer.
Ce projet, qui a pour but de favoriser l’inclusion des personnes atteintes de troubles neurocognitifs dans nos communautés, est un partenariat entre les Sociétés Alzheimer du Canada, de la Colombie-Britannique, de la Saskatchewan et de l’Ontario.
Cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous, si vous souhaitez en apprendre plus sur le projet Canada proche allié Alzheimer!
Canad...2023-02-2831 minDementia DialogueSeason 5: Episode 57- Community engagement- Safety in numbersIn part 1 of a two-part series, Lisa Loiselle speaks to Alison Phinney, PhD RN, and Lynn Jackson, RN, a person with lived experience of dementia. They work on the Building Capacity Project, a partnership between researchers at the University of British Columbia and Lakehead University, and the Westside Seniors Hub in Vancouver and the North West Dementia Working Group in Thunder Bay.
Alison is from New Brunswick and now lives in British Columbia and has been doing research together with people with dementia for 30 years. As a nurse, she became very curious about what their experience was l...2023-02-2125 minDementia DialogueSeason 5: Episode 2- Seeking Clarity – Biomarkers, Diagnosis and DementiaIn this second episode on biomarkers, Ann Bil, a woman living with dementia, and Kristi Wijnsma, her daughter, discuss why they enrolled in the IMPACT-AD, their experience, and how they used the results from the investigation. Khushbu Patel, a research associate of Dr. Mari DeMarco, the principal investigator, talks about some other participants' experiences and resources available at www.impactad.org/resources.Kristi mentions the help provided through First Link, a service of the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia and other Alzheimer Societies in Canada.
The analysis offered by Dr. DeMarco’s lab at St.Paul’s Hosp...2023-01-3132 minDementia DialogueSeason 5: Episode 1: Offering certainty – Biomarkers, diagnosis and dementiaDr. Mari DeMarco, Ph.D., is a researcher at the University of British Columbia concerned with how the diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases can be improved by discovering and using biomarkers. Led a study on biomarkers. Her lab aims to create better tools for the timely diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal degeneration, and related disorders and make these tools easily accessible to those that need them.
Dr. DeMarco talks about the use of the amyloid beta peptide and tau biomarkers in dementia and specifically Alzheimer's Disease and the results of the one arm of the Impact-AD study on...2023-01-1729 minDementia DialogueSaison 2 Episode 1 L’approche par le plaisir©Nos invitées pour ce balado sont Hélène Carbonneau, professeure au Département d’études en loisir, culture et tourisme à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières et Sandra Harrisson, professeure agrégée à l’École des sciences infirmières de la Faculté des sciences de la santé de l’Université d’Ottawa.
Hélène et Sandra collaborent depuis plusieurs années maintenant à l’élaboration d’un cadre plus humain pour les services et les soins des personnes atteintes de troubles de mémoire. Ce cadre, qu’elles appellent l’approche par le plaisir©, optimise la qualité de vie des clients en m...2023-01-1048 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4, Episode 53: Building Capacity ProjectThis is the second episode about the Building Capacity Project (Part 1 is episode #51), a joint initiative of UBC and Lakehead University. Alison Phinney and Granville Johnson focus on a Toolkit the project has
developed to promote the inclusion of people with dementia in community programs. It is meant to help community leaders and program participants to understand how dementia is experienced and, thus, normalize how they can be included in mainstream opportunities.
Link to the toolkit: https://www.flippingstigma.com/
2022-12-1230 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4- Episode 54: 2SLGBTQI & Dementia- Ruth & Maggie’s StoryIn this episode, Pat Shanahan speaks with Maggie Perquin. Maggie retired early from teaching to become the carer for her wife Ruth who have been together for 27 years, married for 15 of those and between them they have 15 grandchildren. Ruth, also a retired teacher, had been struggling with cognitive issues for about 8 years when she was finally diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2018.
Following the diagnosis, Ruth and Maggie connected with the Alzheimer Society Southwestern Partners. While they were well received as a same-sex couple, they realized they were the only out participants in their group. Maggie approached the Alzh...2022-11-2933 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4: Episode 52- Young Onset Dementia: Genetic Testing - To test or not to test?In this final episode of our Young Onset Dementia series, guest host Jillian McConnell speaks with Dr. Mario Masellis, Associate scientist and Clinician-scientist with the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute & Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Assistant professor, neurology, department of medicine, University of Toronto and Research scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Jillian and Dr. Masellis discuss what genetic testing looks like for someone who has a close family relative that is living with Young Onset dementia, how testing for Young onset dementia is different from other diseases, who is a good candidate for genetic testing...2022-11-0838 minDementia DialogueÉpisode 5 : Courage et espoir!Après trois mois de relâche, nous sommes enchantés de vous revenir avec notre série de balado Les troubles neuro-cognitifs : parlons-en! Cet automne, nous vous-présenterons une série de balados mettant en vedette des francophones de l’Ouest canadien. Dans le premier épisode de la série, l’animatrice Ingrid Gagnon s’entretien avec Gioia Sallustio à propos de résilience, de la proche aidance, de l’importance d’avoir accès à des ressources dans sa langue maternelle et de son attachement pour la communauté franco-albertaine.
After three months off, we are delighted to be back wit...2022-10-2644 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4- Episode 51: Celebrate LifeAlthough Granville Johnson is living with dementia, he remains part of the community. Granville is a website designer, an artist, a musician (jimbe), a teacher (school and music), and a community dignitary, and he performs and speaks at community events. After he was diagnosed with dementia, he continued his community work introduced by the BC Alzheimer society. He was introduced to the Dementia Action Group and has become an advocate for himself and others living with dementia (creating a toolkit and dementia celebrate life t-shirt). a program about reducing stigma. He is currently in a band called “The day wi...2022-10-1827 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4: Episode 50- Rachel Broderick “Young Onset Dementia: Facing a Family History”In this episode of our Young Onset Dementia series, guest host Kathy Hickman of the brainXchange and Alzheimer Society of Ontario sits down with her niece Rachel Broderick of Owen Sound, Ontario, whose Mother and Grandmother both developed and died in their 40s of a rare form of Alzheimer’s Disease. (Familial) caused by a genetic mutation. Rachel, along with her brother (both teens at the time), cared
for her Mom, Chantal, who was a single mother. The story of how she bravely faced this experience during her formative years and how it influenced the now 21-year-old woman sh...2022-10-0519 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4: Episode 49- FriendshipLisa Loiselle speaks with Brenda Hounam and Colleen Whyte about friendship and dementia. Brenda was diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 53. She met Lisa in 2002 when they, and others planned the first ever conference by and for people living with dementia – A Changing Melody.
Brenda and Lisa continue to work on many dementia advocacy initiatives and have formed a deep and meaningful relationship. The conversation includes the loss of friendships after a diagnosis, how participants in the study defined friends vs. acquaintances, leisure and how that helps people maintain friendships, how trust plays into relationships, and mor...2022-09-0638 min
Dementia DialogueSummer Reprise #2 Marshalling ResourcesOur summer reprises focus on the theme of advocacy at the system, community service and individual level. In this episode originally released in May 2018, Louise Milligan describes how her husband Gord was diagnosed with dementia while still teaching and raising two daughters. Louise speaks eloquently about the challenges their family faced and how she was able to use community resources to help.
2022-08-0222 minDementia DialogueSummer Reprise #1 - Human Rights and DementiaOur summer reprises focus on the theme of advocacy at the system, community service and individual level. This first episode released in May 2020 outlines the connection between human rights and dementia, with particular attention to the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care. Mario is a dementia activist who is a co-creator of a Canadian Charter of Rights for Canadians with Dementia for the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Laura Tamblyn-Watts of CanAge is a lawyer and leading advocate for older people and Margaret Gillis leads the International Longevity Centre, Ottawa and is working to have Canada adopt the UN Convention on...2022-07-1220 min
Dementia DialogueSeason 4, Episode 48: Young Onset Episode 4 - ”Have a Good Day, Every Day”John and Cindy McCaffrey's motto is “Have a good day, every day”. In this episode of our Young Onset Dementia series, guest host, Kathy Hickman of the brainXchange and Alzheimer Society of Ontario talks with them about their experiences of living with and caring for someone with young-onset dementia, how they have built a sense of community and continue to maintain a positive attitude by living in the moment.
John and Cindy discuss how they took action when they couldn’t find the “right” supports for someone living with young-onset dementia by creating a program called YouQuest. YouQuest fo...2022-06-1826 min
Dementia DialogueEpisode 4: Les villages culturelsNos invités pour cet épisode sont Véronique Legault et Pierre Roisné, respectivement Directrice générale du Regroupement des ainés de la Nouvelle-Écosse et Directeur général du Réseau santé Nouvelle-Écosse.
Véronique et Pierre collaborent depuis quelques années sur Villages culturels, un projet dont le but principal est d’identifier des méthodes, des approches et des activités culturelles qui pourraient être utilisées dans les centres de soins de longue durée en Nouvelle-Écosse afin de créer une atmosphère culturelle acadienne et francophone pour les résidents.
2022-06-1330 min
Dementia DialogueArts and Dementia - Dementia in the MediaLisa Loiselle speaks with filmmaker Chris Wynn who filmed his father’s struggles with Alzheimer’s in a documentary “Forgetful Not Forgotten” and a 2nd feature documentary about young caregivers called “Much Too Young”.Chris and Lisa speak candidly about how dementia is portrayed in TV and film, how it affects perceptions of Alzheimer's disease amongst the general population, and nurtures stigma. Chris also speaks about his own experience with his father’s illness and how it changed his life and inspired him to create his own documentary films.Resources:Forgetful not forgotten : http://livingwi...2022-05-3134 min
Dementia DialogueS’adapter pour mieux vivre!Notre invitée pour ce troisième épisode est Claire Giallonardo. Claire est native de Timmins, dans le nord de l’Ontario et habite maintenant dans la région de Peel. En 2014, alors qu’elle avait à peine 55 ans, Claire a reçu un diagnostic de Parkinson.
À la suite de ce diagnostic, Claire a dû repenser à son avenir et faire d’autres projets de vie; une période très difficile qu’elle qualifie de « traumatisante ». En contrepartie, cette période lui a aussi permis d’élargir son cercle social, de s’impliquer auprès de sa communauté et de renouer avec son amour de...2022-05-1830 min
Dementia DialogueEpisode 46: Young-Onset Dementia: changing the narrativeJill Czuczman a care partner to her husband David, living with Frontotemporal Dementia talks about some of the unique challenges associated with young-onset dementia from the long road to getting a diagnosis, to leaving the workforce early, the lack of understanding and stigma, to the struggles to find supports that meet the unique needs of those living with or caring for someone with dementia in mid-life. Facing these challenges head-on, Jill shares how she and David have made the choice to find the positive every day and the steps they have taken to live well with dementia, including getting...2022-05-0325 min
Dementia DialogueEpisode 45- Communication through improv- Arts 7A Toronto-based mental health clinician and artist specializing in aging, older age, and dementia, Aynsley Moorhouse elaborates on how the fundamental principles of theatre improv, such as saying “yes, and”, are also central to caregiving and communicating with people living with dementia. Improv teaches care partners about living in the now and supporting one’s partner by making them “look good”. She now works with care partners at the Reitman Centre using the principles of improv to connect with the people living with dementia they are supporting.
Resources:
Website: www.dementiacarers.ca
https...2022-04-1922 minDementia DialogueBalado 2- Vivre le moment présent et profiter de la vieMarie-Reine et André sont tous deux natifs du Caire, en Égypte. Ils ont émigré au Canada en 1970 et habitent dans la région d’Ottawa. C’est là qu’ils ont fait leur carrière et élevé leur famille.
Il y a environ trois ans, André a été diagnostiqué avec la maladie à corps de Lewy, une forme de trouble neurocognitif qui partage de nombreuses similitudes avec la maladie de Parkinson.
Lors de notre rencontre, nous avons parlé du diagnostic d’André, de l’impact de ce trouble neurocognitif sur leur vie et des efforts qu’ils font, chaque jour, pour...2022-04-1220 min
Dementia DialogueYoung Onset Dementia: One family’s story Pt. 2: the children’s perspectivesJillian McConnell, our guest host, speaks with the Dineen children: Justin, Rebecca, and Peter who were just 12, 10, and 8 at the time of their mom’s diagnosis (9 years ago), about their experiences as younger children learning about their mother’s bvFTD diagnosis and now as teenagers / young adults. They discuss the unique challenges they faced and offer perspectives and strategies that continue to help them as they navigate their mother’s diagnosis and their relationship with her.
Part 1 is a conversation with Matt Dineen, their father.
For more information:
Association for Frontotemporal degeneration: https://www.theaftd.or...2022-03-2927 min
Dementia DialogueYoung Onset Dementia: One family’s story on how a diagnosis impacted their lives- Season 4, Episode 42Our Young Onset series begins with a conversation between Matt Dineen, a father of three and husband from Ottawa, Ontario and Jillian McConnell, guest host and Knowledge Mobilization lead with brainXchange. Nine years ago, Matt's wife Lisa was diagnosed with Behavioural variant Fronto-temporal dementia (bvFTD) at the age of 43.
Matt and Jillian discuss what his experience has been like including: how Lisa was diagnosed, the challenges surrounding a diagnosis and symptoms at such an early age, how it impacted him, Lisa and their children (who were ages 12, 10 and 8 at the time) and what strategies and resources Matt foun...2022-03-2735 minDementia DialoguePandémie et mesures sanitaires : un défi pour les personnes atteintes de troubles neuro-cognitifs, leur entourage et les intervenantsDans cet épisode, nous discutons avec Diane Dumaresq et Geneviève Arsenault-Lapierre. Diane a été proche aidante auprès de son mari Guy, décédé de la maladie d’Alzheimer en mars 2021. Leur dernière année ensemble a été marquée par la pandémie et les mesures sanitaires.
Geneviève, quant à elle, est chercheure auprès de l’équipe pancanadienne de Recherche en organisation des services sur l'Alzheimer – plus communément appelée l’équipe ROSA.
Diane et Geneviève collaborent actuellement sur un projet de recherche financé par les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada. C...2022-03-1533 min
Dementia DialogueArts and Dementia Series- Healing through the arts: The journeys of one woman and a son and his fatherLisa Loiselle, explores the importance of the arts in the context of dementia from the lens of a personal advocate, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel and a care partner, Daniel Potts.
Cynthia started having memory problems at the age of 49. She did not consider herself an artist until after her diagnosis and now she is a published author, artist, and fierce Alzheimer’s advocate. Cynthia talks about how she got started in the arts and how that work has turned into her published book, “UnMasking Alzheimer’s”, a compendium of stores and photos of 36 masks that she created a...2022-03-0833 min
Dementia DialogueWe all have a part to play: Reimagining Dementia- Season 4, Episode 41Guests Mike Belleville and Mary Fridley speak about Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice . Mary, a longtime community activist recognized how COVID disproportionately affected people living with dementia and saw an opportunity for action and change. She brought together advocates from the arts community who had a similar mindset for social change and thought out of the box creatively. This newly formed alliance issued a Call To Action in September 2021. We also feature the Coalition's new song released on the same day as this episode.
The group has 500 members from 25 countries, with a passion for radically...2022-01-2735 min
Dementia DialogueFrom 3 to 4Happy Holidays and thanks to all of our listeners, contributors, and supporters.
We have assembled 3 series to help you celebrate this season - Ars, Spirituality, and Women & Dementia. Check out our website.
We look forward to bringing you many interesting and innovative episodes in Season 4.
2021-12-2207 min
Dementia DialogueConnecting through Music - Season 3, Episode 40 and #4 in our Arts & Dementia SeriesSimon Law is an award-winning songwriter, producer, and performer with two Grammy awards. Not only is music a large part of Simon’s life, but it was also an important piece of his father’s life even after he was diagnosed with dementia. Simon’s father appreciated music and especially loved the sounds of the Caribbean. Simon and his father were able to stay connected through the music they enjoyed.
Simon reflects on his time working at the Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy and making the documentary “Music is Life” https://youtu.be/6bfYnZTMFRc and speaks about his new pursuit with...2021-12-0326 min
Dementia DialogueIn your seat and on your feet – Accessible dance, Season 3-Episode 39Rachel Bar, the Director of Research and Health and TCAS Postdoctoral Fellow at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto speaks with Lisa Loiselle about dance and movement for those living with dementia. Rachel speaks about her lifelong involvement in dance and as a professional ballet dancer, and how that took her down an academic path researching how dance affects the brain. That subsequently brought her to working with older adults and people living with dementia, artistically and through program development.
Sharing Dance Older Adults is a collaborative program between Baycrest and Canada’s National Ballet School that...2021-11-1626 min
Dementia DialogueLiving Fully & Meaningfully, Season 3, Episode 38In this new episode of our Arts & Dementia series, Lisa Loiselle and special co-host Cynthia Huling Hummel, speak with couple Lynda Everman and Don Wendorf about the importance of the expressive arts in self-care. Don describes expressive arts are esthetic or artsy that have the power to prompt emotions, to allow for an expression of emotions or an emotional reaction, to prompt memories and associations and allow some participation and sharing of that kind of experience with other people. It can be anything artistic like music, visual arts, writing and poetry. For Linda Everman, it is fabric arts like...2021-11-0337 min
Dementia DialogueListen to YouWe want to hear from listeners, guest interviewees,
partners, and others about their experience of our
podcast and gather feedback on how we can improve.
Groups will be held virtually over Zoom.
Participants will receive sample episodes to listen to in advance.
The groups will take approximately 1 hour and will be
recorded but privacy is assured.
We are hoping to begin these in early to mid-November. If you are interested, please fill out our form here https://forms.gle/a7hPoS4MTQHx5ZTh6 or contact Dementia.Dialogue@lakeheadu...2021-10-2602 min
Dementia DialogueFrom Research to Action on 2SLGBTQI & Dementia, Season 3, Episode 37Arne Stinchcombe chats with researchers doing work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2+) persons with dementia and carers. Jason Flatt is an Assistant Professor in the Social and Behavioral Health Program at the University of Nevada (Las Vegas) School of Public Health. Jason discusses how he got involved in dementia research and some of the concerns of 2SLGBTQI+ persons with dementia in their caregivers. He also makes the case for why sexual and gender diversity are important considerations within dementia research.
Celeste Pang (Senior Research Officer, Egale Canada) and Ashley Flanagan (Research Fellow, National...2021-10-2030 min
Dementia DialogueHearts and the Arts, Season 3, Episode #36This episode is the first in an 8-part series on the arts features a discussion on how the arts (in any form) can create a sense of community and belonging and builds relationships amongst participants. Host Lisa Loiselle talks with Lisa Meschino who has seen this first-hand during her work developing programs such as Gather at the Gallery and as an artist at the Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy. Lisa holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and is a community-engaged visual artist and researcher living in Toronto. She has worked for many years creating art with people living with dementia a...2021-10-0532 min
Dementia DialogueReigniting Canada‘s Dementia Strategy, Season 3, Ep #35Mary Beth Wighton and Lisa Poole, co-chair the Dementia Advocacy Canada (DAC) our the leading advocacy organization of people with lived experience of dementia. In this episode, they talk about DACs efforts to strengthen our National Dementia Strategy especially in a meeting they had on June 8 2021 with then Minister of Health, Paddy Hadju.
13 DAC members discussed challenges in implementing the strategy and their recommendations for improving it. To read DAC’s presentation click on https://www.dementiadialogue.ca/upload/documents/nat-strat-dac-notes.pdf
The National Strategy was announced in August 2019. To read it. Click here
A D...2021-09-2126 min
Dementia DialogueDementia Inclusive Choices for Exercise In our podcast, a frequent message is the importance of people with dementia remaining active and involved with others. This is often easier said than done because of restricted options that people often experience or perceive. The Dementia Inclusive Choices for Exercise (DICE) project enables communities to be more inclusive so that people with dementia have more opportunities to be active.
Carole Johannesson lives with dementia and is a leader in a research project conducted by Laura Middleton, PhD at the University of Waterloo. Brian Johannesson has supported Carole’s participation. The project worked with both people with dem...2021-09-0828 min
Dementia DialogueDementia: It's A Family AffairIn this podcast, the Mersereau family shares their experiences with dementia. Clara and Bill live together in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Clara was diagnosed with dementia four years ago. Bill, her husband, supports her as they experience the joys, challenges, and everyday life with Clara’s diagnosis. Their two daughters, Jo-Ann (who lives in Thunder Bay) and Patty (who lives in Winnipeg) join in to share their experiences as daughters supporting their parents.
Services and research are often divided into focusing either on the people living with dementia or on the care partners. However, dementia affects not only ind...2021-08-1023 min
Dementia DialogueThe Solidarity of Sisterhood: Women living with dementia- Season 3, Episode 32The Solidarity of Sisterhood: Women Living with Dementia
Three inspiring women living with dementia—Brenda, Clara, and Myrna, talk with Dr. Elaine Wiersma about what a diagnosis means to them. Through a “kitchen table” conversation about the challenges and joys of being women living with dementia, you will walk away inspired by their courage and resilience.
Women are more likely to be impacted by dementia, both as people living with a diagnosis and as care partners. While gender has largely been ignored in dementia research and supports, these women’s stories illustrate the importanc...2021-07-2719 min
Dementia DialogueWhat We Do Here Counts: Sharing stories of spirituality and caregiving, Season 3, Episode 31Episode 4 of our Dementia & Spirituality Series:
What we do here counts – Sharing stories of spirituality and caregiving
Rev. Faye Forbes and Lisa Loiselle are joined by guests Matthew Dineen and Janice Keefe, PhD to discuss the spiritual needs of the person living with dementia and their care partners. Grounded in their faith communities, Matt and Janice describe how this has provided them with the strength on the dementia journey, as care partners and as advocates.
Matt's wife Lisa was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia at the age of 43 in 2013 and subsequently moved into long-term care. The...2021-07-1335 min
Dementia DialogueCOVID-19:Being a Caregiver, Season 3- Episode 30Early on, Megan O’Connell and Claire Webster sensed the impact that COVID-19 would have on care partners of people living with dementia in the community. Megan is based at the University of Saskatchewan and Claire who was caregiver for her mother before she died, has her own company http://www.carecrosswalk.com and is lead for McGill Cares http://www.mcgill.ca/dementia
As members of the Alzheimer Society Of Canada Task Force on COVID-19, https://alzheimer.ca/en/help-support/dementia-resources/managing-through-covid-19/covid-19-tips-caregivers, they undertook a scoping review https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269%2Fs41997-021-00500...2021-06-2927 min
Dementia DialogueCulture, diversity & Spirituality - Season 3, Episode 29In this episode in the spirituality and dementia series, we engage in a passionate discussion about spirituality, care, and support of people living with dementia from a lens of diversity and culture. This episode features Roberta Bishop and Elder Mary Wilson, hosted by Rev. Faye Forbes and Lisa Loiselle.
Roberta Bishop, Operations Manager at the Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg Manitoba has both professional and personal experience supporting those living with dementia. Professionally, she has witnessed the rapid decline of some members of Over the Rainbow, a social support group for 2SLGBTQ+ community members aged 55 plus or minus...2021-06-1634 min
Dementia DialogueUp Next! Season 3, Episode 28We are changing things up a bit and this episode talks about some new producers and what topics we will be showcasing in upcoming episodes.
Women and Dementia and Dementia in the Family context are 2 episodes that Dr. Elaine Weirsma, Ph.D. of Lakehead University will be discussing. Dementia from a woman’s perspective involves 3 engaging and articulate women who share a diagnosis of dementia and much more. Dr. Weirsma’s second episode explores dementia in a family context and interviews one family and their experience.
LGBTQ2S communities encounter dementia in similar, yet different ways...2021-06-0214 min
Dementia DialogueSpiritual Care: Filling their Souls- #2 in our Spirituality Series, Season 3, Episode 27Guests Elisa Bosley and Christine Thelker discuss spiritual care for people living with dementia. Elisa speaks from the voice of a chaplain’s relationship with those living with dementia and Christine from a first-person voice regarding her own spirituality and supporting others living with dementia.
The conversation focuses on how spirituality is part of every human being. It goes beyond a particular faith expression (religion) to a sense of joy, hope, comfort, assurance, safety. Unfortunately, spiritual care is often overlooked for people with dementia who live in long-term care communities, sometimes due to a lack of knowledge, tim...2021-05-1826 min
Dementia DialogueLive for Today! Season 3, Episode 26 Mary Beth Wighton’s warmth, candor and strength shine through as she talks about her journal, now in book form, Dignity and Dementia: Carpe Diem.
Written over a 6 year period, Mary Beth’s personal reflections frequently acknowledge the gifts from people in her life that have enabled her to live a full life and become a leading advocate for her peers living with dementia. The entries began as notes to her family and like ripples in a pond, they grew outward to reach a wider audience.
Mary Beth is co-chair of Dementia Adv...2021-05-0429 min
Dementia DialogueBeing fully alive: How spirituality endures - Season 3, Episode 25In this, the first episode of a 4-part Spirituality Series, Jane Kuepfer joins co-hosts Rev. Faye Forbes and Lisa Loiselle to introduce the topic of spirituality and dementia. Jane, RP, PhD, MDiv, is the Schlegel Specialist in Spirituality and Aging with the Schlegel-UWaterloo Research Institute for Aging (RIA). She is a spiritual director, an ordained minister, and a registered psychotherapist, and currently serves as a spiritual care provider in a retirement home. In her role with the RIA, Jane coordinates an annual Spirituality and Aging Seminar, conducts research and teaches graduate courses in Spirituality and Aging.
This...2021-04-2025 minDementia DialogueHappily Ever Older- Episode 24Happily Ever Older
Moira Welsh’s new book Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to Long-Term Care is a “call to action”. Moira sees the need to change the way we provide support to people who have complex needs, especially people with advanced dementia. Over almost 20 years as a reporter for the Toronto Star, Moira has documented the shortcomings of long-term care in Ontario. Her investigative journalism had won her many awards but has not secured the change she sees needed.
In this episode and in her book, Moira outlines a new strategy that offers us real-li...2021-04-0629 minDementia DialogueA Pioneering Partnership
Almost 20 years ago, Brenda Hounman a woman living with dementia, responded to an advertisement posted by the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program’s (MAREP) Dr.Sherry Dupuis PhD, and thus began a fruitful collaboration. This episode describes how the relationship between “participant” and researcher has evolved, some of the results of the partnership and some lessons-learned that can help others replicate their experience.
Brenda and Sherry describe several of the projects that were created through the partnership between researchers and people with lived experience. The first project Brenda and Sherry worked on was The Changing M...2021-03-2326 minDementia DialogueChanging Roles in Dementia Research: From subjects to participants: Season 3, Episode 22David Czuczman is helping other people with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and, just like she has throughout his 12 years of living with the condition, his wife Jill is supporting him all the way. David overcame some initial reservations and became an active participant in the Ontario Neurodegenerative Research Initiative (ONDRI www.ondri.ca). Jill, as a care partner, also participates in contributing data about her experience as a care partner but also as co-chair of the Patient-Community Advisory Committee (PCAC). Rick Swartz is a physician and research co-lead of the ONDRI project.
This episode explores the evolution of...2021-03-0927 minDementia DialogueChoices Season 3 Episode 21 The idea of life choices is woven throughout this episode’s conversation with Myrna Norman. Her life has not been easy, having been widowed in her mid-40’s with a growing family but she has got on with life in a remarkable way. Challenges confronted her when she was first diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD) but she uncovered options and the choices they presented.
Our ‘kitchen table” conversation was much like her book Dementia Strategies, Tips and Personal Stories – warm, refreshingly candid and encouraging of others. Myrna talked about her family and what lead up to and followed he...2021-02-2325 min
Dementia DialogueGrassroots Changemakers Season 3, Episode 21 Jim Berry and Bill Heibein are members of the North West Dementia Working Group (the Group) that was formed in 2014 by people with dementia and care partners to work to promote the change that they want to see happen to improve the lives of people living with dementia. The group is small, about 20, but mighty in its ambitions and accomplishments.
Jim and Bill share some of their motivations for belonging to the group and describe some of their accomplishments. Two of the ones of which they are most proud is a conference entitled Living Well with Dementia conve...2021-02-0917 minDementia DialogueDementia Friendly Communities: Season 3, Episode 19 This is the first in a multi-part series on Dementia Friendly Communities. In it, Phyllis Fehr, a member of our Editorial Board and also a member of the Dementia Friendly Communities project of the Hamilton Council on Aging hosts a discussion with Debbie Keay a fellow member of the Hamilton Ontario Project and Roger Marple who is active in a Dementia Friendly project in Calgary, Alberta.
These projects are different from each other but the motivations behind these 3 people, all of whom have dementia, share many similarities. Each person is actively living a life that they thought was los...2021-01-2826 minDementia DialogueChanging and Adapting: Reflection, Reframing and Reimagining Season 3, Episode 18Reflection, Reframing and Reimagining (repeat of Episode 4, Season 1)
Susan Bithrey and her husband Reg were looking forward to the perfect retirement until life interrupted. Susan describes how she reframed her experience and found ways to affirm her husband’s strengths, even as they diminished. In the process, she found new strengths within herself.
As a retirement gift, Susan was given a journal to record their many “golden year’s” adventures that they had planned together. Instead it sat empty until a year before Reg’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis when she started to keep an acc...2021-01-1125 minDementia DialogueChanging and Adapting: Be PreparedRon Posno is a retired educator living with mild cognitive impairment. He shares with us some of his experiences and talks about coming to terms with his condition and continuing to live a full life with many great examples and tips.
Ron became aware of some cognitive struggles he was having and became worried. This led him to visit his doctor whereupon describing his concerns, she administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) which he passed at that time. A year later, his struggles persisted so he insisted on a referral to a specialist where he received his...2020-12-1417 minDementia DialogueMAID & Bill C-7 – Medical Assistance in Dying Bill C-7 proposes certain changes to the legislation on medical assistance in dying. In this episode, Dr. Mariette Brennan, a professor in Constitutional Law and Health Policy at the Bora Laskin Law School, Lakehead University, outlines the origins of this legislation in Canada, the current legislation and the proposed changes in Bill C-7.
When the current law (Bill C-14) was passed in 2016, 3 outstanding issues that remained to be addressed by Parliament, namely mental illness, mature minors and advance directives, were referred to the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) for further study and advice. One of these matters, mental...2020-11-3030 minDementia DialogueFor This I am Grateful: Living with DementiaIn this episode, I interview Christine Thelker, a dementia activist from British Columbia and author of For This I am Grateful: Living with Dementia. Christine’s book evolved from a personal journal to a blog and eventually to a book that was published in June 2020. Christine is 60 years old and has experienced symptoms of dementia arising from cardiovascular disease for 5 years. In our discussion, we explored the themes of gratitude and grief, taking care of yourself, and advocacy. We also talk about Christine’s decision to “go public” with her writing and the close link this decision had, with her beco...2020-11-1835 minDementia DialogueTransitions– Looking Back and Looking AheadJim Mann, a dementia activist from BC and Jacobi Elliott, PhD a researcher with the Geriatric Health Systems Research Group at the University of Waterloo both share a passion for improving the experience that Canadians have in our health care system. They reflect on the key themes that emerged in our conversations about The System Journey, including team support, treating the whole person, proactive families and support for GPs and offer their own insights for system improvement.
Throughout a person’s journey through the health care system, they will come into contact with multiple health care providers ac...2020-10-2621 minDementia DialogueTransitions: Shared Care in DementiaDr. Ajantha Jayabarathan practices family medicine in Halifax NS. By adopting a shared care framework from mental health, Ajantha describes how she provides family-oriented dementia care in collaboration with other service providers. We get a glimpse of the comprehensive approach Ajantha strives for, though it is not always easy as service access or availability is often uneven. We also hear about the relationship that can build over time between a family physician and her patients, including their families.
Born and raised in India, Dr. A.J. (as most people call her) immigrated with her family to Canada whe...2020-10-1316 minDementia DialogueTransitions- A Rural Dementia Resource for rural communitiesLeanne Lawrence and Jean Daku live in rural Saskatchewan where Leanne’s mother, Marjory lived her whole life. We learn how Jean, a nurse practitioner, championed a memory clinic practice model within the Kipling Primary Care Centre and she and others supported Leanne and her mom as dementia developed. Enabling residents of rural areas to receive high-quality service is an important contribution to these types of clinics. Often services exist but the clinic helps organize and coordinate them and to advocate when gaps emerge.
Leanne explains some of the challenges of having to travel long distances for heal...2020-09-2717 minDementia DialogueDementia, Stigma and Taking Action –Dementia, Stigma and Action – Human Rights
In this episode of our series on Human Rights and Dementia we listen to 3 women who are active in the struggle to overcome the stigma experienced by so many people with dementia and that often extends to their families. Alisa Grigorich reads an article that she and her colleague Pia Kontos recently wrote on “COVID-19, stigma- and the scandalous neglect of people living with dementia”. Phyllis Fehr, a dementia activist joins Pia in conversation about her experience of stigma and is working to combat it. Pia discusses a new project Reimaging Dementia t...2020-09-2119 minDementia DialogueTransitions: Doing Our Best- Part 2In Part 1, we heard from Rachel about her Mom’s growing dementia and of her need to move to long term care, despite her father Chris’ reluctance. We were also introduced to Monica and Cara who work at a MINT Memory Clinic supporting families like Rachel’s. Rachel reflects on her experience as a daughter of parents with dementia and some of her lessons learned while Monica and Cara discuss what their practice goals and challenges are.
In Part 2 of this episode, Rachel relates some stories and struggles she has faced with knowing when to intervene and where...2020-09-1418 minDementia DialogueTransitions: Doing Our Best Part 1Rachel Hofstetter’s parents, Chris and Dorothy Quick are living with dementia. Before they moved into the same long term care home at different times, Rachel recounts some of the challenges and transitions that they experienced. These challenges include decision-making, driving, admission into long-term care, and working with multiple providers. Rachel received support from a MINT Memory Clinic. Monica Wood and Cara Dowhaniuk work at the memory clinic and along with Rachel, they describe how they support families like Rachel’s and collaborate with other primary care providers.
Having two parents at different stages of cognitive decline can...2020-08-2914 minDementia DialogueNavigating the SystemLearning what helps are available and how to use them is a major issue for people with dementia and care partners. One of the major issues in Primary Care is time. This is especially a challenge in caring for a patient with dementia. Michelle Janisse, MSW is a First Link Navigator who describes her role in working with families to navigate the system and with Primary Care to bolster their capacity to support people living with dementia. As a service of the Alzheimer Society in many locations, First Link helps connect people to education and community resources. Listen to Michel...2020-08-1714 minDementia DialogueThe Healing ConversationRon Roberts was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease 5 years ago. Except for being told he had AD and could no longer drive, not much more information was provided to him. After doing his own research on how to maintain his health, among other things, Ron enrolled in the BA program at Kings College at Western University and plans to get his degree in 2021.
Ron also speaks to medical and social work students at Western and shares some of his message to students. As a Metis, Ron also briefly touches upon the experience of indigenous people. His core message...2020-08-0417 minDementia DialogueCulture and Communication - The System JourneyNgozi Iroanyah recounts some of her father, Felix’s, experience with dementia, and how she as a daughter, along with her stepmother Gean and brothers Azu and Chuck, are supporting him. Ngozi shares some of her “techniques” in trying to keep connected to various health care providers and the family and to manage transitions that they all confront, as her dad’s dementia proceeds. Cultural awareness and communication as well as early action are all important considerations.
Eighty-one-year-old Felix, who was diagnosed much to his and his family’s shock with dementia in 2008, immigrated to Canada in 1972 from Niger...2020-07-1817 minDementia DialogueTown Hall Discussion on Human Rights and DementiaIn the last episode of our series on Human Rights and Dementia, listeners discuss the various Calls to Action issues by our interviewees. Mary Beth Wighton, a leading dementia activist and co-chair of Dementia Advocacy Canada and Jillian McConnel of the brainXchange co-host the discussion.
2020-07-0718 minDementia DialogueInclude Us! Human Rights and DementiaIn our third episode on this theme, we take a more global view of Human Rights and Dementia. Stefanie Freel is a Canadian who is a consultant with the World Health Organization and lives in The Netherlands. Stefanie outlines work at the UN and WHO to codify and promote human rights for persons with mental disabilities, including dementia.
We then speak with Kate Swaffer who leads Dementia Alliance International whichis a worldwide group of people with dementia. Kate has secured a place at the table for people with dementia at several levels of dementia policy work.
...2020-06-2217 minDementia DialogueGet Real! Dementia, Gender, Age In this second episode on Human Rights and Dementia, we talk with Christine Telker a dementia activist from British Columbia and a member of Dementia Alliance International, a worldwide network of people with dementia. Jane Barratt leads the International Federation on Ageing and is working to advance a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. Dr. Deb O’Connor teaches at UBC and helps us understand how human rights can be applied even when dementia has progressed. All three have some suggestions about what we can do to promote human rights and dementia. As well, mention is made of our Tow...2020-06-0720 minDementia DialogueAbsolutely Yes! Dementia and Human RightsThis episode outlines the connection between human rights and dementia, with particular attention to the impact of COVID-19 on long term care. Mario is a dementia activist who is a co-creator of a Canadian Charter of Rights for Canadians with Dementia for the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Laura Tamblyn-Watts of CanAge is a lawyer and leading advocate for older people and Margaret Gillis leads the International Longevity Centre, Ottawa and is working to have Canada adopt the UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. Each gives their own advice on what listeners can do to promote human rights...2020-05-2519 min
Dementia DialogueRelationships and Reaching OutEpisode 6: Too often people can drift away, but Penny Sather has not. As a member of a large extended family, Penny has helped the family out as they supported their mother and mother-in-law and now Penny is doing what she can to support her brother-in-law, Al.
2018-06-1120 minDementia DialogueReflection, Reframing and ReimaginingEpisode 5: Susan and her husband were looking forward to the perfect retirement until life interrupted. Susan describes how she reframed her experience and found ways to affirm her husband’s strengths, even as they diminished. In the process, she found new strengths within herself.
2018-06-0425 minDementia DialogueMarshalling resources within oneself and within communityEpisode 4: Louise Milligan’s husband Gord was diagnosed with dementia while still teaching and raising two daughters. Louise speaks eloquently about the challenges their family faced and how she was able to use community resources to help.
2018-05-2822 minDementia DialoguePromoting the Voice of Lived Experience: A Panel DiscussionEpisode 1: Our series is introduced by a panel of 4 people talking about the importance of “Pumping Up the Volume” so that people with lived experience will have their voices heard. Panellists include advocates for people with dementia and care partners, our research associate and a dementia educator.
2018-05-2225 minDementia DialogueWork, Life : Adapting to ChangeEpisode 3: Roxanne Varey has dementia and has become an advocate for creating more opportunities for people with dementia in the workplace. Roxanne has written poetry to help her understand and express some of her inner experience.
2018-05-2225 minDementia DialogueReinventing Relationships: An Interview with Guy ChadseyEpisode 2 of the Changing and Adapting series features an interview with Guy Chadsey whose spouse Alison has dementia. Guy talks about some of the early indications of Alison’s condition, his changing relationship with Alison and his effort to live positively.
2018-05-2221 min