Here's How the Province Will be Helping People with Dementia

 

The provincial government recently announced a new initiative to assist the 240,000 Ontario residents currently living with dementia as well as their families.

People living with dementia are at risk of wandering off on their own and getting lost--60 percent of people with dementia-related memory problems get lost during their struggle with the disease; this can cause additional undue stress on not only them but also their caregivers and family members.

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility and Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, announced the government would be providing close to $600,000 towards the Find Your Way initiative, which will focus on providing information and resources to people who have family members living with dementia, as well as caregivers who take care of people living with dementia.

"This funding will go a long way in helping to keep seniors safe, especially given an estimated 240,000 seniors in Ontario are living with dementia," Cho said.

"This is another example of how our government is putting seniors and their families first by making it easier to find our missing loved ones faster," he adds.

In addition to providing information about living with dementia, this funding will also be put towards raising awareness of the disease and funding seminars for individuals, caregivers and frontline officers who educate the public about the disease.

Cathy Barrick, CEO, Alzheimer Society of Ontario said: "We are very pleased with the support we have received from the Ontario government to grow our Finding Your Way program.

"More missing persons with dementia are going to benefit from our resources to help them return home quickly and safely. We will also be better able to reduce future incidents," she adds.