In 2011, 747,000 Canadians were living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias – that’s 14.9 per cent of Canadians 65 and older. Which means that sadly, chances are high that you know someone who has suffered, or is currently suffering from these diseases.
As our population ages, these numbers are only climbing. The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada has estimated that if nothing changes by 2031, this figure will increase to 1.4 million.
In Canada, AGE Inc. has set out to provide humanistic, patient-centred care for people living with dementia. Their curriculum, GPA or Gentle Persuasive Approaches, provides a broad-based educational experience for caregivers treating people afflicted with dementias, allowing these front-line workers to truly connect with the person beneath the disease. It is a novel approach, and one that has had huge success within Canada.
For the 10-year anniversary of the AGE curriculum, the team asked us to create a mini-documentary about the program. We were so pleased to be a part of the celebration for such an important organization. And by the end of our video screening, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
To the staff at AGE Inc. ~ thank you for including us! We were so happy to tell your story. Here’s to another 10 years of success!
