Video: Advice for Living Well with Dementia
This video shares advice for living well with dementia from people living with dementia and their family, friends, and supporters. The video was produced by the DREAM and Dementia-Inclusive Choices for Exercise (DICE) Teams.
Understanding Dementia
Dementia describes a set of symptoms. These symptoms can be caused by a variety of disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Dementia causes changes in thinking abilities and these changes are enough to affect everyday activities. These may include changes in memory, attention, planning, or judgement. People living with dementia may also experience changes to physical abilities and sensory function, like walking, balance, speech, hearing, and vision. People living with dementia may also feel different emotions and react differently to situations.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Abilities, challenges, and symptoms will change over time. Abilities may even vary day to day and change depending on the time of day. People living with dementia still have strengths and can stay involved in meaningful activities.
To learn more about dementia, please visit the Alzheimer Society of Canada website (click here to visit). The video below is also from the Alzheimer Society, and it describes the causes of dementia, types of dementia, how dementia affects the brain, and common symptoms of dementia.
Key Resource
DREAM Handout: Understanding Dementia
This handout describes different types of dementia, changes, and challenges that are common to dementia.
Rights of People Living with Dementia
People living with dementia have the right to participate in the community. People living with dementia also have the right to be understood, respected, and supported in programs and services. Staff, volunteers, and peers who provide programs and services in the community should be well-informed about dementia and use language and actions that consider each person’s unique abilities, preferences, experiences, and needs.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada launched the Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia in 2019. The Charter was developed by a group of people living with dementia. The video below describes the development and importance of the Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia.
Key Resource
DREAM Handout: Rights of People Living with Dementia
This handout describes how the United Nations Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities supports the rights of people living with dementia for inclusion in physical activity, healthy eating, and wellness programs.
Core Dementia-Inclusive Principles
Dementia-inclusive communities ensure that people living with dementia are understood, respected, supported, and included. Community programs, services, and facilities should be easy to navigate and welcoming. The community should accommodate people with various abilities and challenges. Staff, volunteers, and other participants in programs and services should understand dementia and how to support participation of people living with dementia.
This video titled “I Have Dementia but I’m Still Me” shows the diverse faces and experiences of people living with dementia and their family, friends, and supporters. The video was produced by the DREAM and the Dementia-Inclusive Choices for Exercise (DICE) Teams.
Key Resource
DREAM Handout: Dementia-Inclusive Communities
This handout describes factors that make communities, programs, and services dementia-inclusive.
Additional Supports
Understanding Dementia
Alzheimer Society of Canada
The Alzheimer Society of Canada website provides information on different types of dementia, programs and resources available, and the latest news from research and practice.
Indigenous Cognition and Aging Awareness Research Exchange
(I-CAARE)
The I-CAARE website offers culturally safe factsheets that were developed with Indigenous people living with memory loss and family and friend care partners.
Dementia and Sensory Changes
This resource highlights key sensory challenges that can be experienced by people living with dementia. It was developed by Agnes Houston, a person living with dementia.
Changes in Mood and Behaviour
This webpage from the Alzheimer Society of Canada describes changes in mood and behaviour that can be experienced by people living with dementia.
DREAM Booklet: Get to Know Me
This booklet is designed to help people living with dementia and/or care partners share information about personal experiences, abilities, and preferences. This information can be helpful to people providing programs and services.
Rights of People Living with Dementia
The Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia
People living with dementia worked with the Alzheimer Society of Canada to create the Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD)
The UN CRPD is a human rights treaty that was adopted on December 13th 2006. The purpose of the UN CRPD is to promote, protect, and ensure the full human rights and freedoms of people with disability, including people living with dementia.
Human Rights Complaints
The Government of Ontario provides information about human rights complaints, filing complaints, provincial and territorial agencies, and international complaints.
Decreasing Dementia Stigma
World Alzheimer Report 2012: Overcoming Stigma
To learn more about stigma of dementia, this resource shares the experiences and perspectives of people living with dementia, family and friend care partners, and people working in the field.
Community and Social Services
DELIGHT
The DELIGHT program was developed to support the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia and family and friend care partners. The DELIGHT healthy tip sheets give information and strategies to help people living with dementia live well.
211
211 is a telephone line and online directory that connects all Canadians with local community and social services to help meet personal needs, including housing, food access, senior support, and more.
Multilingual Resources
DREAM Handout: Understanding Dementia
Click to view and download in:
Arabic
Simplified Chinese
Portuguese
Punjabi
DREAM Handout: Rights of People Living with Dementia
Click to view and download in:
Arabic
Simplified Chinese
Portuguese
Punjabi
DREAM Handout: Dementia-Inclusive Communities
Click to view and download in:
Arabic
Simplified Chinese
Portuguese
Punjabi
DREAM Booklet: Get to Know Me
Click to view and download in:
Arabic
Simplified Chinese
Portuguese
Punjabi