Dementia Dialogue

A significant number of Canadians experience cognitive and behavioral changes due to dementia, which can include difficulties with navigation and orientation, increasing the risk of getting lost.  

Our Risk of Going Missing Series begins with a conversation between Dr. Noelannah Neubauer, a researcher from the University of Waterloo and Jillian McConnell, guest host and Knowledge Translation Specialist with brainXchange.  Dr. Neubauer and Jillian discuss a toolkit she and her colleagues have created to help people with dementia and their care partners understand the risks of becoming lost due to dementia-related changes as well as some helpful strategies to address these risks.  

Noelannah Neubauer, PhD, OT Reg. (AB) 

Dr. Noelannah Neubauer is an Occupational Therapist System Case Manager with Alberta Health Services in Edmonton Zone and is a part-time research assistant for the Aging and Innovation Program at the University of Waterloo, led by Dr. Lili Liu. Noelannah completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at University of Alberta in 2019, where she developed the Canadian Guideline for Safe Wandering. Areas of interest include community based-practice, health system navigation, dementia, aging, assisted technologies, and aging in place. 

You DO matter! Exploring the impact of mattering in caregiving.  

Dr. Flett emphasizes that by valuing oneself and acknowledging the efforts of those who provide care, individuals can foster a greater sense of hope. This not only benefits the caregiver but also enhances their resilience and adaptability, which are essential traits for managing the challenges associated with caregiving. The sense of mattering can thus play a pivotal role in sustaining motivation and emotional strength in caregiving roles. 

Guest host for this webinar: Ann-Marie Kungl, CEO, Alzheimer Society-Simcoe County. 

Notre invitée pour ce balado est Karine Wibrin. Karine est ergothérapeute pour le Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara où elle travaille avec une clientèle diversifiée, dont des personnes atteintes de troubles neurocognitifs majeurs.

Ensemble, nous avons parlé de sécurité et de conduite automobile, en particulier en ce qui concerne les personnes atteintes de troubles neurocognitifs majeurs. Comment savoir quand il est temps de renoncer à son permis de conduire ? Quels sont les signes avant-coureurs que les membres de la famille et les proches aidants devraient rechercher ? Quand et comment doit-on en discuter avec son proche ?

Karine Wibrin Biographie

Karine a fait ses études en ergothérapie à l'Université de Montréal. Elle a travaillé dans divers centres hospitaliers et centres de réadaptation à Montréal. Elle a ensuite déménagé en Ontario où elle a travaillé 2 ans dans une clinique privée avec des personnes accidentées de la route. Elle travaille actuellement pour le Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara depuis 14 ans. 

Mona Loffelmann, founder and executive director created African Family Revival Organization (AFRO) in 2015 because of a disconnect she witnessed between youth and seniors and the larger community. According to Mona, seniors don’t have access to the things most of us do, for example, health and allied health services, due in part to a language barrier or a fear of going out into the community. Some may have dementia and others are just isolated. Mona felt compelled to make a change.

During our conversation, Mona speaks about the many programs offered by AFRO to both seniors and young people in the Waterloo Region and surround areas such as Guelph. AFRO received funding from Red Cross which allowed them to create a program whereby youth would support seniors by dropping off supplies, which turned into a buddy program. The organization received further funding from the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) and the Government of Canada to create an in-person program that brings together seniors and youth.

This episode also includes a conversation with Ms. D (or Diney), a 75 year old “Senior Ambassador” at AFRO. Ms. D has become a spokesperson helping to connect AFRO with other seniors in the community, and Elise who is a student involved in AFRO. They both talk about how their relationship is mutually beneficial.

Resources:

Afrofamily.ca

Phone

(548)-889-3506

(519)-223-AFRO (2376)

Address

737 Belmont Ave. W, Suite 4

Kitchener, Ontario, N2M 1P3

About the guest:

Mona Loffelmann, Founder and Executive Director, African Family Revival Organization (AFRO)

Over the past decade, Mona has been working to ensure that all members of our community feel valued, included, and heard. In this role, she is be responsible for developing and implementing outreach programs that engage black and other marginalized groups, building relationships with key stakeholders, and working to create a more inclusive and equitable community.

Mona possesses adequate communication, organizational, and resilience skills. She is enthusiastic about her work and continues to collaborate with other organizations to provide community-oriented services. More importantly, Mona is constantly looking to collaborate with other organizations to track and measure the success of outreach efforts, making recommendations for improvement as needed.

Mona has a strong understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and she strives to educate others through presentations and training programs. In fact, Mona has completed a number of training programs including; “Train the Trainers Resilience Training” in partnership with Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region. She has also completed “Intercultural Leadership Training” with Muslim Social Services of Waterloo Region.

Mona is the Project Coordinator and Cultural Navigator for AFRO's Support Through Generations program, as well as the Executive Director of AFRO. Mona, along with the other AFRO board members, contributes to major decisions and changes that benefit the organization and community as a whole.

This episode is a continuation of the Intergenerational Engagement series of Dementia Dialogue hosted by Lisa Loiselle. Guests include Albin Soni, a student at University of British Columbia (UBC), Mario Gregorio, a passionate advocate living with dementia, and Lillian Hung, an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at UBC. 

In 2020, Dr. Hung received funding to create the Innovation in Dementia and Aging (IDEA) Lab at UBC. The purpose of the IDEA Lab is to bring together patients, family partners, researchers, health system planners, and students (as co-researchers) to create technology that will assist in the care of people with dementia and older adults, teach new skills, and prepare students for professional advancement.  

During this episode, Lisa and her guests speak about the inspiration for IDEA Lab, its goals and how Mario and Albin are involved as mentor (Patient engagement partner) and mentee, respectively.  They discuss the process of ideation to creation of their technology projects through patient-oriented research, that also has the added benefit of intergenerational engagement. They also speak about their motivation to get involved in IDEA Lab. Dr. Hung also speaks about the importance of inclusion in their research and making the work important for everyone, leaving no one behind.  

Beyond the research, the IDEA Lab team has built an incredible bond with each other and through their engagement, they are learning from each other, reducing stigma, and removing barriers. 

Biographies: 

Albin Soni (Research Assistant | UBC IDEA Lab). is currently a fourth year Biomedical Engineering student at UBC, with a focus in cellular engineering and medical devices. He is also a research assistant with the UBC Innovation in Dementia and Aging (IDEA) Lab. At IDEA Lab he pursues his interests in healthcare accessibility and innovation, while at the same time helping those with dementia and related conditions. As a long-term care home volunteer, he has become familiar with some of the hardships experienced by these individuals. The work at IDEA lab is so important to address these hardships. Outside of IDEA Lab, Albin can be found listening to music, hanging out with friends, and finding new foods to eat.  

Mario Gregorio is a passionate advocate to create awareness, reduce stigma and educate the public about neurocognitive disorder or dementia. He is a member of several committees that encourage inclusiveness and accessibility for people with hidden disabilities and a recognized public speaker in universities across Canada and in the United States. He is a coauthor of several research papers about digital technology and robotics and a mentor for the University of British Columbia IDEA Lab and Simon Fraser University School of Gerontology. And is actively involved with community projects to help alleviate loneliness and foster social connections. He enjoys taking pictures during his morning walks and loves gardening. 

Lillian Hung is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Nursing; she holds a Canada Research Chair in Senior Care. She is interested in patient-oriented research and the innovation of care for those living with dementia and their caregivers. Through the creation of the IDEA Lab, she has brought together a team of enthusiastic young students, along with patient and family partners who are pursuing innovation in dementia and aging research through co-designing of projects and sharing in the benefits of collaborative research. 

Resources for website: 

https://idea.nursing.ubc.ca/ 

Notre série de balados qui s’adresse spécifiquement aux francophones du Canada, vise à inspirer, informer et aider à réduire la stigmatisation entourant les troubles neurocognitifs majeurs. 

Dans ce balado, nous apprenons comment nos pensées influencent notre bien-être et comment briser le cycle de pensées négatives qui nous empêchent de vivre notre vie pleinement. 

Notre invitée est Mireille Huneault, responsable des services en français pour l’Association canadienne pour la santé mentale pour la région de Durham en Ontario. Mireille est également instructrice certifiée en premiers soins en santé mentale et enseigne une série d’ateliers qui s’intitule « Vivre sa vie pleinement ».  

In this continuation of the Intergenerational Engagement series, host Lisa Loiselle speaks with Dana Zummach and Kate Dupuis. 

Kate Dupuis is the Schlegel Innovation Leader in Arts and Aging at Sheridan College and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging. She is based at the Sheridan Centre for Elder Research in Oakville, Ontario and is a Professor in Sheridan’s Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies. After receiving her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Toronto, Kate completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Health and Hearing Services programs at Baycrest and became registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario as a clinical neuropsychologist.  

Kate is a clinician-scientist whose work lies at the intersection of arts, health, and aging. In her research, Kate seeks to understand how arts participation can benefit all domains of health and well-being for older adults and those who care for them, and she explores how to encourage and support creativity and self-expression across the lifespan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kate’s work expanded to explore the experiences of moral distress and moral injury in staff working in retirement and long-term care homes. She uses arts and creativity techniques to address the health and well-being of staff, with an aim towards enhanced resilience and recovery.  

Dana Zummach is the manager of Dementia Programs at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging and has been involved with the Supporting Inclusion through Intergenerational Partnerships (SIIP) project since 2019. The SIIP project reduces social isolation, and builds meaningful relationships that span across generations. SIIP works with organizations across Waterloo Region to provide opportunities for older adults living with dementia, their care partners, and youth to connect and interact in purposeful ways. Dana has over 15 years of experience in public health research, program evaluation, and project management and holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies and Gerontology and Master of Science in Public Health and Health Systems both from the University of Waterloo. 

In this episode, Lisa, Dana and Kate discuss several Intergenerational programs that have been supported by SIIP funding through the RIA and programs that Kate has been involved in creating and supporting through her research. They also explore why these interactions are so important and meaningful to both the young and their “grand-friends.” Many lessons were learned from the programs being supported by SIIP funding and as a result, Dana shares some best practices and how to access key resources for training purposes and also program development and/or management. Finally, some words of advice are shared about program sustainability.  

Balado sur Les Cafés Mémoire de la Nouvelle-Écosse

Dans ce balado, nous allons en apprendre un peu plus sur les Cafés Mémoire. Les Cafés Mémoire ont été créés dans les années 1990, par un psychologue néerlandais, dans le but de briser l’isolation et la stigmatisation des personnes vivant avec des troubles neurocognitifs majeurs en créant des occasions de rencontre et d’échange pour les personnes âgées et leurs proches aidants. 

Notre invitée, l’artiste néo-écossaise Élizabeth Sircom, est la Conseillère artistique provinciale des Cafés Mémoire de la Nouvelle-Écosse.  

Élizabeth est une artiste multidisciplinaire, elle fait de la peinture, du dessin et de la sculpture en terre cuite avec un intérêt particulier pour le portrait. Elle est également musicienne et enseigne le violoncelle. 

Nous vous invitons à découvrir les œuvres d’Élizabeth en visitant son site web au : https://www.elizabethsircom.com/.  

Pour plus d’informations sur les Cafés Mémoire de la Nouvelle-Écosse, veuillez consulter leur site web au : https://memorycafens.ca/fr/.  

Pour trouver un Café Mémoire près de chez vous, contactez la Société Alzheimer de votre région. Vous pouvez également consulter ce répertoire en ligne au : https://www.memorycafedirectory.com/ et cliquer l’onglet « Find a Memory Cafe ». 

In this episode of Dementia Dialogue titled, ‘It Started with Oma,’ the second in a series of conversations about Intergenerational Engagement, host, Lisa Loiselle speaks with Matthew Vorstermans and Ann-Marie Kungl.

Matthew lives in Creemore, Ontario, and spends his time volunteering. For many years he has supported residents at a local nursing home, reading to children at the public library and most passionately, volunteering to support those living with dementia.

Matthew got involved in intergenerational activities as a young grandson whose Oma was living with dementia in another country. Since then he has been a passionate volunteer for the Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County. This May he will be volunteering for the 18th straight year as a participant in the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s.

Ann-Marie Kungl has witnessed Matthew’s passion and commitment to supporting those living with dementia since she became the CEO of the Alzheimer’s Society of Simcoe County. Ann-Marie speaks about the importance of intergenerational connection, programs being offered by Simcoe County and of course the upcoming Walk.

Originaire de la péninsule Acadienne, Marie-Paule B.-Leblanc habite aujourd’hui à Moncton où elle occupe le poste de Coordonnatrice des événements et philanthropie pour la Société Alzheimer du Nouveau-Brunswick.  

C’est une cause qui lui tient à cœur puisqu’elle est proche aidante pour son père qui vit avec la maladie d’Alzheimer. 

Ensemble nous avons parlé de son rôle de proche aidante, de l’importance d’accéder aux ressources disponibles, et de la marche annuelle pour l’Alzheimer IG Gestion de Patrimoine. 

Link : Lien pour s’inscrire à La marche pour l’Alzheimer IG Gestion de patrimoine