Jack’s stories tend to meander. A conversation that starts about the weather might weave its way into a vivid description of catching a ride to the local pub in a convertible the night before. The details are a little foggy, and the line between reality and fiction is increasingly blurred.
“I just try to meet him wherever he is in that moment,” says Jack’s son, Ryan. “I try to be patient, and engage with him however I can. He usually changes the subject after awhile, and comes back closer to where we really stand today.”
At 82, Jack’s living with some form of dementia — a diagnosis his family is working to solidify. Progressing through a network of referrals, cognitive tests and waiting lists: it’s not a straightforward process. That said, it’s more common than many of us think. Jack and his family certainly aren’t alone.
Ontario leads the country with the most anticipated new cases of dementia by 2050
More than 1 million Canadians will be living with dementia by 2030. That’s a big number — one expected to increase significantly in the years ahead. By 2050, the Alzheimer Society of Canada projects a 187% uptick in the number of people living with dementia. Ontario is the province projected to see the most new cases by 2050.
With so many different forms of dementia (Alzheimer’s disease being the most common), it’s fair to say people will experience it differently. In addition to the 1.5 million new cases of Alzheimer’s predicted to afflict Ontarians over the next 25 years, researchers also expect another 680,000 cases of vascular dementia — plus 780,000 more spanning other forms. That’s on top of the 48% uptick in the number of Ontario dementia patients since 2010, according to analysis of Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) billing released by the Ontario Medical Association.
While the Association says delaying onset by 10 years would keep Ontario’s dementia numbers similar to the 2020 baseline, the question remains: what happens to families already living this reality?
“From what we see with Toronto families, every case of dementia really is unique,” says Timon Page, General Manager of home care assistance provider, TheKey Toronto. “As the number of Ontario families coping with dementia continues to grow, it will be even more important for care providers to personalize their approach. It is our ability to tweak the way we consider clients’ specific needs and cognitive capacity that really improves quality of life.”
For Page, that means building client relationships with a deep understanding and assessment of the individual, the right caregiver fit and a reliance on TheKey’s Cognitive Therapeutic MethodTM. “Whether a client is navigating Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia, we start each new client relationship by working with them and their family to understand individual needs. Tailoring interventions to someone’s specific cognitive function level can really help.”
Personalized, in-home dementia care across the greater Toronto area
Designed by experts to boost brain health for people at any level of cognitive function, the Cognitive Therapeutic Method touches on all five aspects of cognition:
- Memory (retaining information to use later on)
- Visual-spatial perception (accurately perceiving an objective person’s location and understanding the relationship between objects)
- Executive functioning (reasoning, problem solving, judgement and thought flexibility)
- Attention (focusing on a specific piece of information for a long period of time, even in the face of competing distractions)
- Language (executing verbal functions, including spontaneous speech, speech repetition and comprehension, naming, reading and writing)
From prompts that move the client to answer questions about a picture they’ve just seen to games that help clients form patterns: individual activities are mixed and matched so folks can exercise their minds and, above all, have some fun.
“In many cases, you can absolutely live well with dementia at home,” Page says. “Blending the right mix of activities as part of in-home care offers our clients a chance to work on cognitive function, while feeling engaged and safe. This gives them and their families a sense of wellbeing. This is the goal.”
That’s true for Jack’s family, too. Ryan and his siblings are keen to provide a more well-rounded life experience for their dad, even as his dementia progresses. “Having a caregiver that we know is going to engage with him when we’re not there, and bring a little more happiness into his days. For us, that can make a huge and positive difference.”
Considering in-home dementia care or have questions about the types of support we offer? Our specialists are here to help determine the best plan to meet your parent’s or loved one’s needs. Contact TheKey today to get started.