September is World Alzheimer's Month.
Liz McLeod, senior manager of regional services for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, says that World Alzheimer's Month is an opportunity to talk about dementia and that it's a globally-coordinated effort.
"Countries around the world are emphasizing that it's Alzheimer's Month and it's an opportunity for those policymakers [and] governments... to recognize that dementia is a serious health issue and it will have overwhelming implications on services in health systems around the world as the population grows older," she adds.
McLeod says that there will be special events coming up to mark the occasion, starting with emphasizing the issues on their website.
"Some of our educational events will have a research forum in September, which will highlight what is new in research [and] what is important. It will help you decipher the headlines you see in the media and figure out, kind of, what's more important and what's less important in terms of what's coming out," she adds.
McLeod went on to say that they also want to let people who have a diagnosis of dementia know that they're not alone.
"We see them. We're aware of them... We're trying to help them by looking for funding [and] looking for programming," she adds.
Liz McLeod says that there are a lot of resources online for those looking to learn more about Alzheimer's disease.
She recommends that, in addition to visiting their website, people visit the Alzheimer Society of Canada website and watch Teepa Snow's videos on YouTube.
