Grey tsunami

The Alzheimer Society is preparing for what some are now calling the grey tsunami.

"The population is aging and we know that in the next 10 years, the number of people with dementia will be escalating at a great rate," said Cathy Conway, director of quality management and education for the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.

Conway, in Thunder Bay to attend the 14th Annual Alzheimer Fall Conference Friday, said the society will be putting a stronger focus on the rising tide of people that will deal with the disease in the coming years. One in three people over the age of 85 will experience some form of dementia.

"As people age, the idea would be that we need to find ways in which we can help strategize in terms of understanding who they are as they go through the progression of the disease," Conway said.

The first presenter of the day, Conway spoke about a framework called You First; it aims to help people understand that people with dementia are real people.

"We need to understand why they could be behaving the way they do based on the dementia that’s happening to them," she said. "The framework allows staff and other family members to understand that person more effectively and possibly interact in a more positive way to bring less stress and more safety to the workplace."

One concern with people with dementia is when one wanders from home and can’t find their way back. The Alzheimer Society has the Safely Home registry in place to help emergency personnel find those people quickly, but a Private Member’s bill is being brought to Queen’s Park in the near future about a Silver Alert: an idea similar to an Amber Alert, but for seniors.

"I think we’re always in support of anything that’s going to bring people home safely," Conway said. "The question is how can we work together and what can we do?"

While the grey tsunami may be coming, Conway said there is hope.

"We’re getting closer and closer to knowing the cause of Alzheimer’s Disease," she said. "I think we know enough now that we’re starting to realize we can be proactive. If we can delay the onset of dementia even by 10 years, then the number of people with dementia will decrease." Click here to submit a letter to the editor.