THUNDER BAY – James Berry has been living with dementia for the past decade.
But the 74-year-old says by keeping active and taking his medication, he’s been able to stabilize the situation and his Alzheimer’s disease has stopped progressing.
He wants to share his journey with others who have recently been diagnosed or might be displaying signs of early onset dementia.
Berry will get his chance later this month at a two-day seminar, Living Well With Dementia: Creating Dialogues of Hope, which is scheduled to begin on Sept. 22 at the Urban Abbey from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with a barbecue to follow, then continues the following day with keynote speaker Roger Marple, a dementia survivor, at the Best Wesern Plus Nor’Wester Hotel.
“For me, I think it’s keeping active, being affiliated with the Alzheimer’s Society and CERAH. The art program to me is very important. That’s one of the few times that people with dementia gather together and have good times,” said Berry, who said the disease has had a major impact on his life, but he’s been able to make do.
“The conference, to me, can show to the public that dementia isn’t a killing disease. You can live with it and live well with it.”
Susan Bithrey knows the journey all too well.
Her husband, Reg, died four years ago, after living with dementia for a number of years.
She wants to share her story and teach them ways to live better, but more importantly, to find hope.
“I have experience as a caregiver and kind of went through the war,” she said. “I feel I may have some things to share.”
First and foremost is acceptance.
When her husband was initially diagnosed, the couple joked about it and refused to attend support group meetings.
“It’s about learning to reach out to the community and to let them help you. And the Alzheimer’s Society was the place where we found not only help, but wonderful people. Many of the people there are my friends to this day,” Bithrey said.
She added it’s key to take the signs seriously when they first appear.
“Early diagnosis is a good idea. You know what you’re dealing with and you can explain to people what’s happening in your life. The more people see folks living with the disease out in society and still doing well, the less afraid they’ll be. And that’s really important, getting that fear factor out.”
Nisha Sutherland, a research advocate with Lakehead University’s Centre for Educations and Research on Aging and Health, said the conference is for people living with dementia and their caregivers, both in Thunder Bay and out in the region.
What makes this conference a little different is that the programming, in large part, was inspired by those same people.
“They are a part of a lot of the presentations. They’re going to be talking about their experiences, about stigma and how they have risen to the challenge. And it’s also to raise awareness, that just because you have a diagnosis with dementia, you can still be an active part of the community.”
Travel and accommodation subsidies are available for people living outside of Thunder Bay. Registration, which closes on Sept. 16, is $25 and includes all workshop materials and refreshments over the two days.
Visit www.cerah.lakeheadu.ca/events or contact Ruth Wilford at 807-766-7298 for more information.
