While we all may be aware of the dementia crisis that is increasingly heading our way, it often takes a celebrity to truly raise the issue and increase our general awareness levels. I am referring to FTD or frontotemporal dementia and Bruce Willis’ recent diagnosis. Dementia is a syndrome describing…
Today’s blog is co-written by Jennifer Campbell and Sandra Arsenault, Senior Law Clerks in the Private Client Services Group at Fasken. At the beginning of November, we were fortunate enough to attend the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario (ILCO) annual conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This conference brings together law clerks…
and most importantly, this is a story with a happy ending 🙂 I would like to tell you about a friend of mine, who I’ll call D. D’s father developed signs of dementia in his late 70’s. Her mother began showing signs in her mid-80’s, and was formally diagnosed with…
One of the hardest things that an adult child caregiver has to deal with, is placement of a parent; specifically, a parent with advancing dementia. There is no roadmap and every situation is unique however there are common threads that we see on a daily basis. We know that if…
As we finally say goodbye to March and hopefully our cold, snowy Canadian weather, I am looking forward to warmer days and resuming our new normal, whatever that might look like. With April around the corner, our new month starts with National Family Caregiver Day, which is recognized on the…
Reposted @allaboutestates.ca January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Like many of you, I think about Alzheimers quite often; not only the occasional word finding challenge but for anyone who lives with dementia- closely impacting their own lives- the changes it brings. Do we need a special awareness month to remind us?…
September is World Alzheimers Awareness Month and the 21st is World Alzheimer’s Awareness Day. Alzheimers is a health crisis, in my view , that impacts everyone and one that is not based on culture, gender, ethnicity, or social economic background. Alzheimers is the most common form of dementia and one…
This past week I had an interesting discussion with some of my team members (registered social workers and occupational therapists ) on whether or not it is appropriate to tell a white lie with individuals living with a dementia. “Therapeutic fibbing is a controversial yet very effective method of dealing…
And I don’t mean figuratively, I mean literally. I heard two stories this past week of two elderly individuals who are both quite compromised with dementia. One lives in a retirement residence and the other lives in her own home with care support. In both instances, they had a fall…
In the majority of families where there are still two parents living in the same home, the ‘well’ spouse becomes the primary caregiver to their husband/wife who has dementia. Caregiving for someone with a cognitive disorder is a full time job; especially when community supports, such as day programs and…