Introduction to dementia
What is dementia? Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2020. This one-page document will introduce you to the basic facts around dementia, including the differences between dementia and normal aging, the importance of early diagnosis and what to do if you’re concerned that you or someone you know has dementia.
Also available in other languages:
- Français (French): Que sont les troubles neurocognitifs?
- हिंदी (Hindi): डिमेंशिया क्या होता है?
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi): ਡਿਮੇਨਸ਼ਿਆ ਕੀ ਹੈ?
- 繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese): 什麼是腦退化症？
- 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese): 什么是脑退化症？
- Español (Spanish): ¿Qué es la demencia?
- Português (Portuguese): O que é demência?
Indigenous views on dementia
Dementia. Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2020. In addition to providing basic information on dementia, this one-page, downloadable factsheet includes a brief summary of Indigenous views on dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease
- What is Alzheimer’s disease? | Print-friendly version
- Dispelling the myths | Print-friendly version
- 10 warning signs | Print-friendly version | One-page illustrated version
- What to expect | Print-friendly version
- First steps | Print-friendly version
Other dementias
- Young onset dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
- Vascular dementia
- Mixed dementia
- LATE-NC
Rare types of dementia
- Corticobasal degeneration
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Huntington disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Niemann-Pick disease type C
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Parkinson’s disease
- Posterior cortical atrophy
- Progressive supranuclear palsy
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Conditions related to dementia
Progression of Alzheimer’s disease
Diagnosis
- Benefits of an early diagnosis
- Getting a diagnosis | Print-friendly version
- Getting a diagnosis toolkit
- Preparing for your doctor’s visit
- Principles for a dignified diagnosis
- Personal symptoms checklist for young onset dementia
Person-centred care
- PC P.E.A.R.L.S.: 7 key elements of person-centred care
- Guidelines for care: executive summary
- Guidelines for care: framework
- Person-centred language guidelines | One-page version
- All about me – A booklet designed for people living with dementia, to help them create a record of their background and what is important to them
- All about me: A conversation starter – A shorter tool that provides a “snapshot” of the person in order to start a conversation
- Meaningful Engagement of People with Dementia: A Resource Guide
Living with dementia
- Communication
- Communication challenges and helpful strategies for the person with dementia – This brochure offers some helpful communication strategies for people with dementia who may find themselves struggling with changes in their communication ability.
- Decision-making
- Driving
- Be Ready for an Emergency Department Visit – A joint publication between the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Older Adult Hospital Readiness (OAHR) Research Program Team).
- Financial and legal worksheet
- Intimacy and sexuality
- Personal care | When Toileting Becomes a Challenge: Tips and Strategies
- Living alone
- Meal times
- Memory tips & tricks – An information sheet for strategies to help you manage your memory problems, based on ideas and suggestions provided by people living with memory loss.
- Responsive behaviours
- Shared experiences – A booklet designed to answer some of your questions and concerns about living with Alzheimer’s disease (also available in audio files).
- Tracking devices
- Quality of life
- When sleep becomes an issue: Tips and strategies
Caring for someone with dementia
- First steps for families | Print-friendly version
- Ways to help
- Caregiving options
- Reducing caregiver stress | Print-friendly version
- Ambiguous loss and grief in dementia: A resource for individuals and families
- Ambiguous loss and grief in dementia: Strategies for living positively with ambiguous loss and grief (a checklist)
- A handbook for care
- Meaningful visits
- Ready, Set, Plan – for care partner absence – As a caregiver, use this form to help you plan ahead for times where you may not be available to support the person you’re caring for. Note that while this form is from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, anyone across Canada can use it.
- Young onset dementia: Facilitators resource guide
Long-term care
- Resources for long-term care
- Moving to long-term care series:
Treatment
- Treatment options | Print-friendly version
- Medications for Alzheimer’s disease: are they right for you?
- Drug approval process
- For Family Doctors
- For Pharmacists
Risk factors and genetics
Clinical trials
Programs & services
Kids and teens
- Resource list for kids
- Resource list for teens
- Just for Kids: Helping children understand Alzheimer’s disease
- Just for Kids: Helping teens understand Alzheimer’s disease
Healthy living
- Heads up for healthier living | Print-friendly version
- Heads up for healthier brains | Print-friendly version
For healthcare providers
- The importance of early diagnosis | Print-friendly version
- Questions for family physicians and health professionals to ask when cognitive impairment is suspected
- Principles for a dignified diagnosis
- Communicating the diagnosis
- Supporting clients through ambiguous loss and grief: Strategies for healthcare providers
- Ambiguous loss and grief: What you can do to help family caregivers cope: Tips and strategies (a checklist)
- Dementia and staff grief: A resource for healthcare providers
- How does pain affect people with dementia?
For first responders
- First Responder Handbook – This handbook expands on the information above to provide first responders with more details on how to recognize, communicate with and respond to someone with dementia.
- 10 Communication Tips – This pocket sheet for first responders has helpful tips that anyone can use when talking to a person with dementia.
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