A diagnosis of Alzheimer鈥檚, or any other dementia, is terrifying. Learning how to take some control and even share a few laughs about it is empowering.
Lisa Coulson of the Silver Threads Society, a not-for-profit agency mostly assisting people 55 years and older, said the loss of control with a progressive, incurable disease, such as Alzheimer鈥檚, can be overwhelming for people.
鈥淭hey are stressed because they often don鈥檛 have any action plans or they feel like there is nothing they can do to help their situation,鈥� said Coulson.
But Coulson is co-ordinator of a weekly Silver Threads program to offer strategies and exercises for the brain that can help a dementia patient cope and even slow the onset of the disease.
It also offers a chance to make new friends with people who are bailing out the same boat.
鈥淭hey feel like they are not alone and they are not going through these challenges all by themselves,鈥� Coulson said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 even a relief to use some humor and laugh at yourself,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here is always a lot of jokes about aging and memory loss.鈥�
The program is called Memory PLUS, for Practice Laughter and Useful Strategies. An information session will take place on Monday.
Each weekly session is two hours of games, puzzles, information and discussions, with a snack break. It鈥檚 all designed to stretch the mind a little and provide some social support in a friendly group.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very relaxed and a lot of it is all about people having fun,鈥� said Coulson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 games, we play games.鈥�
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, dementia, the loss of memory and cognitive function, results from a number of causes. Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is the most common, accounting for two-thirds of all cases.
According to the Alzheimer Society, dementia is not a normal part of aging. But age is the single biggest risk factor.
As the demographics of Canada shift toward a larger contingent of seniors, the number of dementia patients is expected to increase. The Alzheimer Society said that in 2011, 747,000 91原创s were living with dementia, a number that is expected to hit 1.4 million by 2031,
Coulson said now, one in 11 91原创s age 65 or older has Alzheimer鈥檚 or some other form of dementia.
But in Memory PLUS, patients, usually with an initial diagnosis of dementia, can learn coping strategies.
They also learn games and exercises that can strengthen mental function and even slow down the onset of the disease.
鈥淯se it or lose it,鈥� is the slogan for Memory PLUS.
Despite the inexorable onset of Alzheimer鈥檚, Coulson said she has some clients who have been attending Memory PLUS for six years.
Also, not all her clients are seniors. For example, one suffered a brain injury during surgery and now attends Memory PLUS to improve his mental acuity.
鈥淟ike the rest of the group, he is trying to rebuild new mental pathways to challenge his brain and trigger his memory,鈥� Coulson said.
The Memory PLUS workshop is set for Monday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at 2340 Richmond Rd., the CNIB building. Admission is free.
