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Unique program helps Victoria residents shape dementia journey

Alzheimer Society of B.C. brings Shaping the Journey: living with dementia to Victoria next month

The journey with dementia poses many challenges. For Victoria families and caregivers on the journey, having an understanding of what they will face can make all the difference.

That’s why the non-profit Alzheimer Society of B.C. will bring its educational program, Shaping the Journey: living with dementia, to the city this month.

“It helps families build the knowledge, skills and confidence to live well with dementia,” says Emily Pridham, the Society’s First Link program coordinator for Greater Victoria.

Shaping the Journey is designed specifically for people experiencing the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. It is also intended for care partners, family members, or friends. And that includes many people in Victoria, since an estimated one in three Canadians knows someone with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Educating yourself will allow you to gain an understanding of what you and your family members are faced with, giving you the skills and confidence to maintain quality of life, both now and in the future,” Pridham says.

The program covers:

• The brain and dementia.

• Hearing the diagnosis.

• Maintaining your general health.

• Life after diagnosis.

• Planning ahead.

• Maintaining your spirit.

Participants will not only learn about the disease, but they will also meet others going through similar experiences and learn strategies to cope with changes and maximize quality of life.

Registration is required to participate in Shaping the Journey. People with dementia, and their care partners, can sign up for four Tuesday sessions running May 27 through June 17 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Care partners on their own can sign up for four Mondays, May 26 through June 16, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

All sessions take place at the Alzheimer Resource Centre, 202 – 306 Burnside Rd. West.

For more information and to register contact Pridham at 250-382-2033 or epridham@alzheimerbc.org.

For more information on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, visit the Alzheimer Society of B.C. website at www.alzheimerbc.org.