Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Check out our latest blog post dedicated to Alzheimer's Awareness Month.
Source: Alzheimer Society and Alzheimer Society Montréal
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that attacks and destroys brain cells. Over time, this leads to a deterioration in memory and thinking skills. It’s an incurable disease to this day
It is the most common neurocognitive disorder (60-80% of diagnoses).
It’s important to note that not all cognitive disorders are signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
The symptoms
Alzheimer’s disease can be recognized by a number of symptoms.
– Short- and long-term memory loss
– Difficulties with thinking, language and problem-solving. They are sufficiently severe that the affected person cannot carry on with normal daily activities.
– Changes in mood and behavior.
Parts of the brain affected
Alzheimer’s disease generally affects the whole brain. However, frontotemporal degeneration mainly affects the frontal and temporal lobes, i.e., the areas responsible for personality and behavior.
Illness can affect each person in different ways, but over the long term, it has an impact on every facet of the sufferer’s life.
Firstly, there is cognitive and functional impairment affecting the way the person understands, thinks, remembers or communicates. She may also get lost, confused or have memory loss.
Emotions and moods are also affected. In particular, there’s a sense of withdrawal and apathy.
Secondly, the disease also attacks physical capacities. It can affect a person’s coordination and mobility, sometimes leading to problems with everyday tasks.
Finally, behavior is often affected. Expect unusual reactions, repetitive gestures…
The 7 stages of Alzheimer’s disease
Research into the disease has shown that there are 7 different stages
Stage 1: No cognitive deficit. The person has no symptoms.
Stage 2: Very mild cognitive impairment. Appearance of the first symptoms, which may also be linked to the person’s age. The person may have memory problems or not know where certain everyday objects are located.
Stage 3: Slight cognitive deficit. For some people, these symptoms can be used to diagnose an early stage of the disease. The person’s loved ones begin to notice certain disorders. When examined by a doctor, it is possible to detect memory and concentration problems.
Stage 4: Moderate cognitive impairment, corresponding to an early or mild stage of the disease. For example, forgetting recent events or one’s own past, difficulty performing complex tasks such as preparing dinner for several, or mood swings.
Stage 5 : Moderately severe cognitive impairment. Memory and reasoning problems are clearly visible. The person needs help with everyday activities. She’s disoriented, can’t remember her address or phone number.
Stage 6 : Severe cognitive impairment. Memory problems worsen and personality changes may appear. The person needs a lot of help on a daily basis. She may have trouble remembering the names of her loved ones, but recognizes them. She may suffer from incontinence and experience major personality changes (defiance, hallucination…).
Stage 7: Very severe cognitive impairment. This is the terminal phase of the disease. The person can no longer interact with those around him or her, can no longer control his or her movements and needs help with basic tasks. Her muscles stiffen, she can no longer swallow, and feeding herself becomes complicated.
Awareness month
What is Awareness Month?
Every January, the Alzheimer Society promotes Alzheimer Awareness Month in Canada. It’s a way of giving a voice to all those who have been touched by the disease in one way or another.
It also helps combat the prejudice, judgment and discrimination suffered by the people concerned. What’s more, it’s also a way of strengthening people’s rights and achieving policy change.
Today, some 564,000 Canadians, including 155,000 Quebecers, suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or a neurocognitive disorder.
Over the next 10 years, it is estimated that the number of sufferers in Canada will increase by 66%.
Almost half of all people with neurocognitive disorders are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease.
What is the Alzheimer Society of Montréal?
The Alzheimer Society of Montreal was the first to be founded in Quebec in 1981. It was created by a group of people concerned by the disease who were surprised by the lack of information available on Alzheimer’s disease and the lack of support for affected families.
Today, the Alzheimer Society of Montreal is recognized as a pioneering unit in information, education and support. She helped found the Quebec Federation of Alzheimer Societies. She advocates person-centred care in these activity centers and is the founder of the first support group for people with the disease in Canada.
How can we help?
Make a donation
If you’d like to get involved with the Alzheimer Society of Montreal, you can start by making a donation.
There are several types (source: Alzheimer Society of Montréal)
1) Testamentary giving
A testamentary gift is made with your assets. This can include your personal residence, savings, life insurance, pension and retirement funds, RRSPs and RRIFs, and other assets. Most people leave an inheritance, even if their assets are very modest. The important thing is to plan a donation according to your means, with the help of an advisor.
2) Gift of shares
A publicly traded gift of bonds, mutual funds and similar securities is one of the most tax-efficient ways to make a major gift to charity.
The donation of shares or other securities entitles the donor to a tax credit.
It is more advantageous to transfer securities directly than to donate the proceeds from the sale of securities. This type of gift is ideal for those who wish to make a significant donation without dipping into their liquid assets, or who own shares or other securities whose value has increased considerably since their acquisition, since the transfer of securities to an organization is exempt from capital gains tax.
3) The gift of insurance
Donating an existing policy
If you no longer need the protection offered by your life insurance policy, you can transfer ownership to a charitable organization, while continuing to pay premiums, if applicable. You must designate the organization as beneficiary and owner of your policy. You will receive a tax receipt for the cash surrender value of the policy, and a receipt each time you pay your premium if you keep the policy in force.
Purchase of a new policy
If you’d like to make a major gift, but your current resources are modest, you can purchase a life insurance policy and then assign it to a charitable organization. In this case, it is always preferable to spread the premiums over a limited period of time, such as three, five, seven or 10 years. Each premium paid entitles the donor to a donation receipt for the amount of the premium.
4) The designation of a charitable organization as beneficiary of the death benefit.
If you anticipate a heavy tax burden on your estate, it may be more advantageous for you to simply designate the organization as beneficiary of the policy, in whole or in part, while retaining ownership of the policy. In this way, the gift becomes a reality at death, and generates tax savings when the estate is settled. In this case, you will not receive tax receipts for premiums paid during your lifetime.
5) The unique gift
You choose the amount you wish to donate at once.
Monthly donations
Support us throughout the year by choosing our monthly giving program, by direct debit from your bank account or by credit card.
Gifts in memory or honor of a loved one
Would you like to invite your family and friends to make an In Memoriam donation following the death of a loved one? Or to mark a birthday, wedding or any other occasion, you can make a donation in honor of a loved one.
Corporate donations
Help the Alzheimer Society of Montreal pursue its mission to alleviate the social and personal consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders by providing leading-edge interventions, care and support services that have a positive long-term impact.
Become a volunteer
Being a volunteer means giving a little of your time to a cause close to your heart. It’s also a way of getting involved and thanking those who have contributed to improving the quality of life of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
You can make a difference by getting involved in activity centers, or by raising awareness through information booths or literature distribution. You can also take part in various events and make sure they run smoothly. And finally, you can help out by contributing to the office’s various administrative tasks.
Contact
Alzheimer Society of Montreal
4505 Notre-Dame Street West
Montréal (Québec) H4C 1S3
Telephone: 514 369-0800
Fax: 514 369-4103
Email: info@alzheimermontreal.ca