Dementia - Finding Your Way Program

The statistics are staggering - more and more people every year are diagnosed with dementia.Ontario is projecting that in 6 years that number  of people in the province with this issue will be in the range of 250,000. Given our aging population, I suppose a rise in dementia as that senior cohort gets older is not too surprising.  For those witnessing the cognitive decline of someone they love, it is extremely difficult to come to terms with losing the person you know, while still seeing them as physically present. We are fortunate that there are organizations we can turn to for information and emotional support. In Ontario, our Alzheimer's Society has partnered with our provincial government to expand something called the 'Finding Your Way' Program in multiple languages to accommodate our ever increasing multicultural population.

According to a recent news release "The program will help prevent people with dementia from “wandering” and going missing, and help caregivers and other family members prepare for such incidents, if they occur... The Finding Your Way (TM) safety kit contains tools and resources to help ensure the safety of the person with dementia without depriving them of their independence or dignity, and information to help families create personalized safety plans. The kit includes:

* An identification kit with space for a recent photo and physical description that can be shared with police in an emergency

* At-home safety steps to help prevent missing incidents from occurring

* Steps to safeguard a person with dementia, such as using the Alzheimer Society of Canada’s MedicAlert® Safely Home® program

* Tips on what to do when a person with dementia goes missing and when reuniting after a wandering incident

* The latest information on locating devices". (Quoted from: www.alzheimer.ca/on/~/media/Files/on/Finding-your-way/FINAL_FYW%20Phase%202%20News%20Release_Jan28.ashx)

For further information on this program you can go to www.FindingYourWayOntario.ca

For more information on Alzheimer's Disease see the article Common Warning Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's