By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

MP Raitt brings personal story to Red Deer for World Alzheimer’s Day

Sep 21, 2018 | 5:23 PM

They say everyone knows someone with cancer, and the same is likely true of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Friday is World Alzheimer’s Day and to mark the occasion, local MPs Earl Dreeshen and Blaine Calkins, as well as Conservative Party deputy leader Lisa Raitt, sat down with patients and caregivers in Red Deer.

The three will take the stories they heard back to Ottawa to help in the formulation of a national strategy, which was the ultimate goal of Bill C-233, passed unanimously by parliament in June 2017.

“I truly believe we can be far smarter in how we utilize and allocate our funding when it comes to diseases like Alzheimer’s and not assume that everything has to be delivered by the bureaucracy in Ottawa,” said Raitt, whose husband has young early onset Alzheimer’s. “The Alzheimer Society is doing a great job on First Link so why wouldn’t we partner with them to continue on this project?”

First Link is a nationwide program run by the Alzheimer Society of Canada. It is a newly-diagnosed patient’s entry into a stream of care that will help them throughout their time with the disease.

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“A diagnosis is made by a doctor, then the doctor gives a referral to the Alzheimer Society through this program,” Raitt explains “That allows the Alzheimer Society locally to contact the family, provide information and continuously follow up because you’re in shock when you get a diagnosis and you don’t really want to talk to anybody.”

Laurie Grande, Regional Lead with the Alzheimer Society’s Alberta and NWT branch, says there are many gaps in the available care for Alzheimer’s and other issues which cause dementia.

“Most care partners would prefer to have their person living with dementia at home living with them. They could for longer if they had appropriate supports,” Grande says. “There needs to be education in terms of the healthcare professionals to make sure they’re providing appropriate support for somebody who has dementia. It’s not their physical needs so much but it’s more about their psycho-social needs. They need an opportunity to engage with other people and be supported to live a normal life.”

In central Alberta, the Alzheimer Society offers support groups, caregiver support, education programs and outreach.

In addition to Sept. 21 being World Alzheimer’s Day, September is World Alzheimer’s Month.