Support World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, held annually on June 15 aims to raise awareness that abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of older adults is not acceptable. How will a difference be made? Becoming more informed about the problems older adults may face and the resources that can assist is step one. Building caring relationships across generations will foster important, positive attitudes and respect for all.
To bring this message home, the Manitoba Network for Prevention of Abuse of Older Adults encourages Manitobans to participate in the June 15 event. Watch for an event in your community – it might be a BBQ, an informational presentation or choosing to wear purple (the campaign colour.)
Feeling safe and secure is important. Knowing how and where to ask for help if you do not feel safe and secure is important too. If you or someone you know is concerned about their safety, call
1-888-896-7183 or Age and Opportunity at 204-956-6440 for a confidential conversation.
Research News
Dr. Melanie Martin knows firsthand how profoundly dementia can impact a family. One of her grandparents, now deceased, had a form of dementia and the other is showing signs.
Dr. Martin is worried that her parents will be affected by the disease, too.
It’s fitting then, that Dr. Martin’s career has lead her to research a way to stop or slow down Alzheimer’s disease.
“I would love to be able to prevent my parents from getting it, or at least find a way to slow it down,” Dr. Martin said.
Dr. Martin is an associate professor of physics at the University of Winnipeg, and the director of the Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Centre in the Department of Radiology at the University of Manitoba. She uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in her research on mice to try to understand more about Alzheimer’s disease.
When Dr. Martin first started using MRI in her research to view the brains of these mice, technology was not advanced enough to see the Beta-Amyloid Plaques, the abnormal protein masses which occur inside the brain of a person who has Alzheimer’s.
Now, advances have been made and Dr. Martin and her research team are able to see the plaques. They know that by the time the plaques are present, the brain is already significantly affected by the disease.
“We need to find earlier markers of the disease so treatment can begin earlier and have a greater impact,” says Dr. Martin.
In 2008, with new equipment, progress was made when one of Dr. Martin’s students found a way to measure properties of the area of the brain responsible for memory, called the hippocampus.In humans, this area of the brain shrinks with Alzheimer’s disease.
When Dr. Martin and her team identify a mouse with a hippocampus that shrinks in a similar way, they are then able to test different treatments to see if they can stop or slow down the shrinkage.
Dr. Martin and her team can also detect damage to white matter, the part of the brain that actively affects how the brain learns and functions.
Just recently, one of Dr. Martin’s student researchers, Trevor Vincent, a University of Winnipeg physics student, won a Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging studentship that will enable him to work with her this summer.
Trevor will be working with Dr. Martin to develop techniques to monitor the microscopic changes in the brain which occur over the course of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Annual General Meeting
Join us at the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba’s provincial office to celebrate a year of accomplishments, award our dedicated volunteers and remember those who have lost their lives to dementia at our upcoming Annual General Meeting on Thursday, June 20 at 5:15 pm.
Agenda
5:15 p.m. – Reception 5:45 p.m. – Dr. Gordon Glazner 6:00 p.m. – Volunteer Awards 6:30 p.m. – Tree of Memories Ceremony 7:00 p.m. – AGM Business MeetingR.S.V.P. Trudy Mattey at tmattey@alzheimer.mb.ca or call 204-943-6622 ext. 214. Click HERE for the invite.
Caregiver Tips
Celebrations are times when family and friends experience great joy!
For a person with dementia and their caregivers, celebrations can also be stressful as the busyness and activity can also overwhelm. Planning ahead can help everyone enjoy the time together more. Here are some ideas that may assist you in planning your next celebration:
- Encourage the person with dementia to be involved in the planning
- Consider having smaller, more intimate celebrations
- Set the event at the time of the day when the person is most able to participate
- Choose a sit-down dinner over a buffet to minimize choices that might overwhelm
- Encourage one-on-one activities and conversations
- Keep the event shorter, if possible; plan rest periods for the person with dementia if the event is lengthy
- Watch how the person you care for is doing; be flexible in your plans for the day. Avoid being too cautious or limiting the person’s opportunities to enjoy the event
- Get help from family and friends – don’t do it alone.
To read more tips about planning for celebrations click HERE or call the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba office nearest you to request the Special Occasions factsheet.
Upcoming Family Education
Provincial Family Education
2013 Family Education Calendar of Events
Tips for Home Safety and the MedicAlert® Safely Home® Wandering Registry
The 2013-2014 Family Education Calendar of Events will be posted online in June
Upcoming Events
Investors Group Memory Walk 2013
We’re steppin’ it up for dementia! Join the Alzheimer Society on Thursday, June 13 at The Forks for the 2013 InvestorsGroup Memory Walk.
New this year! We are excited to present Folk Roots band The Sturgeons and local Singer/Songwriter Katie Murphy as entertainment on the Scotiabank Stage after the Winnipeg Walk! We also welcome back Bonnie and Company, brought to us by Home Instead Senior Care, and Boyd Kozak as emcee! Click HERE to visit the On Stage page of the Memory Walk website
It’s a day to join together and walk united in support of all people with dementia.
Gather your family, friends and co-workers and form a team – or register as an individual. Visitwww.alzheimer.mb.ca/MemoryWalk2013/, or call 204-943-6622 to find a walk in your community today!
Click HERE to register.
Click HERE to visit the website for more information.
2013 Motorcycle Poker Derby
The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba’s 2013 Motorcycle Poker Derby will take place in Brandon, MB on Saturday, August 17, 2013.
Register online or sponsor a participant HERE
For more information please call Marni at 204-729-8320 or email mloewen@alzheimer.mb.ca
Father’s Day
Looking for a gift for someone special this Father’s Day?
Why not donate to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba in honour or in memory of your father.
Click HERE to see ways to donate