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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, February 4, 2016 | 6 Age -- the No. 1 risk factor for dementia by Kathy Yanchus Metroland West Media Spotlight "Connected to your Community" T he No. 1 risk factor for dementia is age; the older you are, the higher your risk of developing this progressive brain disorder. Dementia is not a speci c disease but an umbrella term for symptoms of memory loss and impaired judgment; the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's. Numbers are on the rise Dementia is on the rise worldwide; in fact, the World Health Organization has declared dementia a public health priority. In 2011, almost 750,000 Canadians were living with dementia, a gure that will increase to 1.4 million by 2031, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. No Halton-based stats Halton Region does not have statistics for the prevalence of dementia, but it's safe to say the number of cases in Halton is increasing since "our population of older adults is increasing (because) people are living longer, older adults are moving into our community and the Baby Boom generation is aging," said Emma Tucker, Halton Region's manager of Public Health Surveillance and Evaluation, Health. "We cannot ask it as part of our surveys, for obvious reasons; people experiencing dementia are less likely to respond to our surveys. Epidemiologists rely on administrative claims data like doctor visits, emergency department visits and hospital admissions." Burlington also would likely have higher numbers of people experiencing dementia because it has more older adults than any of the other municipalities within the region, said Tucker. A 2010 Regional Dementia The seniors' day program at Acclaim Health, which offers group exercises and games, is open to clients dealing with dementia. Pictured, volunteer Lynn Johnston, right, joins in with a client as they take part in a group exercise program. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) It's a struggle to nd volunteers, who are comfortable working with seniors with dementia. We made it a point to develop a training program that will provide volunteers with the knowledge and skills they need to feel comfortable and con dent in their interactions with clients. Acclaim Health Community Support Services Director Patricia Blakely Projection study, conducted by the geriatric psychiatry program associated with Kingston's Providence Care Hospital, estimated of the approximately 85,000 seniors (65-90+) living in Halton in 2016, almost 8,600, one in 10, would have dementia. Prolonged hospitalizations of seniors with dementia, awaiting transfer to more "appropriate settings" was predicted to surpass 1,550 this year in the HNHB LHIN -- which includes Burlington, according to a 2008 Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. The crisis of "acute care hospital bed gridlock" will continue until effective strategies focusing on dementia are put into practice," stated the study. Diagnosis can be overwhelming Those who receive a diagnosis of dementia and/or their family members are often overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to do next. Most people know very little about living with dementia until it happens to them," said Acclaim Health's Sandi Robinson, caregiver education co-ordinator. Acclaim Health is a registered charity, with of ces in Oakville and Burlington, that develops and delivers community health support and volunteer services. One of the rst things to do is nd out as much as you can about the illness. One of the ways to do that is to turn to the free Halton Dementia Guide for caregivers, which can be downloaded from Acclaim's website, advised Robinson. Research has discovered that there is no one way of progressing through dementia, said Renita Wood, supervisor of Acclaim Health's seniors' day program. "It depends on how the dementia affects the brain, how fast it travels throughout the brain and what centres are affected in the brain," said Wood. Dementia is about loss Dementia is about loss, not just the loss of the patient's own cognitive ability but the loss of what once was, in terms of relationships and engagement with the world, said Patricia Blakely, director of Acclaim's community support services. The Alzheimer Society of Canada has 10 warning signs of dementia, which includes memory loss that affects daily living, dif culty performing regular tasks, problems with language and disorientation of time and space. "It goes beyond short-term memory loss, but that's often the rst noted thing," said Robinson. As the disease progresses, it often presents behaviours that people aren't used to seeing and that leads to the stigma that is attached to dementia, said Blakely. "Generally speaking, it's just absolute lack of understanding of the illness," she added. Challenging to nd volunteers As Halton's numbers rise, Acclaim Health nds it challenging to nd volunteers to help carry out the programs and services needed, according to Acclaim Health. "It's a struggle to nd volunteers who are comfortable working with seniors with dementia," said Blakely. "We made it a point to develop a training program that will provide volunteers with the knowledge and skills they need to feel comfortable and con dent in their interactions with clients." The revised Memory Visiting training program was rst offered in November -- six hours of training over three weeks -- and 28 volunteers completed it; there's already a waiting list for the next session, said Blakely. see Diagnosis on p.7 Volume 54 | Number 10 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 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