Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating illness we all hope we will not encounter as we age. The sad fact is that one in every 11 Canadians over the age of 65 are affected by some sort of dementia. The Alzheimer Society of BC is working hard to fund research in prevention and treatment, and has offices throughout the province to support those coping with the illness.
The new support and Education Coordinator for the West Kootenay office is Julie Leffelaar. She will be providing a variety of dementia education workshops to caregivers, health care providers and the general public; and coordinating ongoing support groups for caregivers and persons in early stages of dementia or memory loss.
There will be education sessions in many of the towns in the West Kootenays, and Julie is looking for new volunteers who would be interested in helping to host or facilitate the peer support groups. There is a full training program available to those who join in the effort. There are currently active groups in Grand Forks, Nelson, Nakusp and Trail.
The Alzheimer Society of BC contributes to the huge effort in medical research into the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer disease, and there is great hope that the future outcome might be different for people. However, right now, there is no cure, and the disease continues to ravage individuals and their families.
For more information or to enquire about volunteering, you can contact Julie Leffelaar at 250-365-6769 (toll-free 1-855-301-6742) or by e-mail; jleffelaar@alzheimerbc.org.
There is also a wealth of resources and information at the Society website, alzheimerbc.org.