Understanding dementia

• Information and supports for caregivers - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Understand dementia and its progression.

• Understanding symptoms of dementia - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about the changes that may happen with regards to mood, repetitive behaviours, restleness, and disorientation.

• The Living GEMS - Teepa Snow: Describing the stages of dementia as gemstones which always have the ability to shine.

• Lessons for caregivers to learn more about dementia - iGeriCare: Learn about dementia, the different types of dementia, the symptoms, and care strategies.

Pain Management

• Pain and cognitive impairment: Reading the cues - Canadian Virtual Hospice: Dr. Romayne Gallager, Program Director of Palliative Care Program for Providence Health Care, discusses how to identify pain in people with cognitive impairment resulting from dementia-related illnesses and other causes [video].

• Pain matters: A family guide to pain management in dementia - Alzheimer Society of Ontario: A guide for families on how to recognize, assess, and manage pain.

• Dementia-related pain management: What caregivers need to know - Mayo Clinic Health System [US]: Learn about why people living with dementia experience pain, how to recognize it, and how to manage it.

Videos on how to communicate with a person living with dementia

• Communication tips - Alzheimer Society of Canada: 5 communication tips for conversations with people living with dementia [video].

• Communication skills and dementia - Alzheimer’s San Diego [US]: Learn how to connect and communicate effectively with persons living with dementia [video].

• Enhance your communication with people living with dementia - Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative: Tips to adjust your communication [video].

Explaining dementia to families and friends

• Helping families and friends to understand Alzheimer’s disease - National Institute on Aging [US]: How to tell others about Alzheimer’s disease and suggestions for better communication.

• Helping children understand dementia - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Breaking down complicated concepts related to dementia for children to engage them in connecting with persons living with dementia.

Using humour purposefully

• Humour helps maintain dignity - Alzheimer’s Association [US]: Explore tips for using humour to offer cognitive stimulation for people living with dementia and relieve stress for both people living with dementia and caregivers.

• Experience of humour between people living with dementia and their care partners - Read a research article about how people with dementia and their care partners experience, use and draw meaning from humour.

Experiencing role changes

• Understanding how your relationship may change - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about how relationships between a person living with dementia and family and friends may change and what to do to ease the transition.

• Sustaining care for a parent with dementia - Read a research article about how adult children sustain caring for persons with dementia within their family and formal care contexts in Canada.

Decision-Making

• Decision-making and respecting independence - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Understand how decision-making evolves over time as caregivers and people living with dementia go through different stages.

• What decisions will I need to make - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Explore the importance of planning ahead; advance care planning; tips for talking about end of life; appointing substitute decision-maker(s), and medical care decisions.

Videos on how to address common care challenges

• Wandering - Island Health [British Columbia]: Learn about why wandering happens and strategies to address wandering [video].

• Refusal to bathe - UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care [US]: Learn why bathing can be challenging and strategies to support bathing for persons living with dementia [video].

• Practical tips for bathing - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about strategies to consider for bathing and flexibility in bathing such as washing hair on a separate occasion from bathing.

• Refusal to take medications - UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care [US]: Learn how to support persons living with dementia in taking medications [video].

• Repetitive questions - UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care [US]: Learn how to address repeated questions asked by persons living with dementia [video].

• Repetitive behaviours - UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care [US]: Learn why repetitive behaviours happen and how to support persons living with dementia experiencing repetitive behaviours [video].

Home Adaptation and Assistive Products (not intended to endorse any product)

• Shopping for assistive products - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about assistive devices that can help individuals perform a task that they might otherwise be unable to do, or simply make the task easier and safer to perform.

• Living well at home - Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region: Guide created by persons living with dementia and caregivers on home modifications and strategies to support quality of life and independence at home.

Self-care and caregiver stress

• Reducing caregiver stress - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Recognize stress and strategies for stress reduction.

• Responding to stressful events - Government of Canada: Learn about common sources of stress for caregivers, warning signs, and strategies to manage stress.

Ambiguous loss and grief

• Ambiguous loss and grief: A resource for individuals and families - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Booklet to help manage feelings of ambiguous loss and grief to lead to acceptance.

• Managing ambiguous loss and grief - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Information about grief and how to manage it.

Programs and services available in your area

• Programs and services for caregivers - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about current programs and services available for caregivers and persons living with dementia. If interested in programs and services, be sure to see what is available at your local Alzheimer Society.

• Be sure to select your province and then your local chapter/city at the top left corner of the website to see what is available in your area by clicking ‘Change Your Society’. The default society is the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

French resources/Ressources en français

• Comprendre la démence - La Société de la démence Ottawa et comté Renfrew: Renseignez-vous sur la démence, quels sont les symptômes et quelles sont les stratégies pour soutenir la démence [vidéo].

• Ce à quoi il faut s'attendre au fur et à mesure que la démence progresse - Société Alzheimer du Canada: Informez-vous pour mieux comprendre et mieux vivre avec la maladie.

• Prendre soin de soi - Société Alzheimer du Canada: N'oubliez pas vos propres besoins et votre qualité de vie.

• Faire faire aux évènements stressants - Gouvernement du Canada: En savoir plus sur les sources de stress courants pour les proches aidants, les signes de stress à surveiller et les stratégies pour soulager le stress.

• Soins de longue durée - Société Alzheimer du Canada: Se préparer à un déménagement dans un établissement de soins de longue durée.

• Leçons pour les proches aidants d’une personne atteinte de démence- iGeriCare: Apprenez-en davantage sur la démence, les différents types de démence, les symptômes et les stratégies de soins.

• Aider les enfants à comprendre les troubles neurocognitifs - Société Alzheimer du Canada: Apprenez à informer les enfants de la démence chez un membre de la famille et des stratégies pour impliquer les enfants.

• La trousse du proche aidant - En établissement de soins de longue durée - Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories (ASANT) Café: Soutenir les proches aidants d'une personne vivant avec un trouble neurocognitif majeur suite à l'admission dans un établissement de soins de longue durée. 

• Soins de longue durée culturellement adaptés aux francophones - Le Réseau du mieux-être francophone du Nord de l’Ontario: Description de la façon dont les foyers mettent en œuvre des soins culturels adaptés aux résident(e)s francophones [vidéo].

• Le deuil blanc, un phénomène commun mais peu connu - Dr. Marie-Lee Yous: Entrevue avec Marie-Lee Yous réalisée par Elsie Miclisse de Radio-Canada sur ce que devraient faire les proches aidants en cas de deuil blanc [entretien à la radio].

• Les médicaments approuvés pour traiter les symptômes de la démence - Société Alzheimer du Canada : Description des médicaments qui peuvent aider à ralentir le taux de déclin cognitif ou à soulager des symptômes tels que des changements dans le langage, les capacités de réflexion et les mouvements ainsi que les effets secondaires potentiels.

Chinese resources/中文资源/中文資源

• Community services directory for Chinese speaking older adults - Sinai Health System: Directory for older adults, families and caregivers.

• Chinese Health Forum for people affected by dementia - InterCultural Online Health Network of the University of British Columbia: Forum designed to help persons living with dementia, their families and caregivers optimize their quality of life by empowering them with knowledge and resources.

• Order books and pamphlets (at a cost) to learn about aging and common conditions such as dementia - Yee Hong: Address the issues associated with aging for individuals, caregivers and health professionals.

• Chinese-language program and services in British Columbia - Alzheimer Society of British Columbia: Learn about how the Alzheimer Society of B.C. works with the Chinese community and access Chinese-language information.

Japanese Resources/日本のリソース

• Resources for the Japanese community - Momiji Health Care Society: Offering a variety of housing options, support services, event, and education and fitness activities for older adults belonging to the Japanese community.

Resources available in different languages

• Resources in Chinese, Punjabi, French, Japanese, Korean, and Farsi - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about dementia myths, getting a diagnosis, and warning signs.

• Resources in English, French, Punjabi, Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Learn about basic facts around dementia, the importance of early diagnosis and what to do if you’re concerned that you or someone you know has dementia.

• Resources in 52 different languages - Alzheimer Disease International [UK]: Information about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Financial and legal resources for caregivers

• Benefits for caregivers - Government of Canada: Learn about programs and services to help cover some cost associated with caregiving.

• Financial support - Ontario Caregiver Association: Learn about benefits and tax-related information.

• Power of Attorney - Government of Ontario: Learn about appointing someone you trust to make important financial and health care decisions on your behalf.

• Power of Attorney instruction and forms - Government of Ontario: Booklet that contains instructions and forms for Continuing Power of Attorney for Property and Personal Care.

• Planning ahead for legal and financial issues - Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories (ASANT) Café: Educational session on planning for the future, power of attorney, personal directives, and last will and testament.

• Mental capacity - Government of Ontario: Learn about mental capacity, how it is evaluated, who evaluates it and how to appeal a finding of incapacity.

• Financial and legal planning for caregivers - Alzheimer’s Association [US] : Learn about planning for care costs, paying for care, insurance, and planning ahead for legal documents

Aromatherapy activities for persons living with dementia

• Aromatherapy activity with different herbs - Care Visions Health Aging [UK]: Activity for persons with advanced dementia using scents and smells to help promote a feeling of wellbeing while helping bring up positive emotions and memories [video].

• Aromatherapy for people living with dementia - Trinity Hospice [UK]: Podcast presentation on how to use aromatherapy, benefits, and what to look out for with regards to safety [video].

Music and auditory activities

• Art and music - Alzheimer’s Association [US]: Information and tips for selecting and initiating art and music-based activities for people living with dementia.

• Dementia and the power of music - Bayshore HealthCare: Information and tips for selecting music for people living with dementia.

• Calm App (free and subscription versions at a cost) - Calm [US]: App that offers soothing music and stories to promote better sleep quality and reduce stress or anxiety.

Long-term care transition

• Long-term care - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Planning for long-term care transitions for people living with dementia.

• Preparing for care conferences - Alzheimer Society of British Columbia: Webinar about tips and important considerations for family involvement in care conferences [video].

• Welcome to the ‘family’ of the Niagara Long Term Care Residences - Dr. Susanne Jeanette Langdon: Guide for families new to long-term care with frequently asked questions and answers.

• Improving Intercultural Staff Communication in the Long-Term Care Setting - Read a research article about collaborating with staff of diverse cultures.

• Elearning course to support communication for families in phoning care team members in long-term care - Ontario Centres for Learning, Research, & Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI-LTC): Free course to help families structure phone calls to the home using a huddle tool.

• How to communicate with frontline staff in long-term care - American Association of Retired Persons (US - note there is a fee for monthly membership to be part of this organization): Learn about tips to ask questions and receive relevant information from long-term care staff through trusting relationships.

Nutrition

• Understanding dementia and nutrition - Alberta Health: Brief information sheet on why nutritional needs change in people with dementia and what can be done to help people with dementia living in long-term care eat better.

• Supporting mealtimes and nutrition - Family Caregiver Alliance [US]: Learn about how best to support people with dementia with meals and snacks.

• Dementia caregiving nutrition - Island Health [British Columbia]: Hear about the experiences of family caregivers in supporting people with dementia with nutrition [video].

Medications

• Medications to help treat symptoms of dementia - Alzheimer Society of Canada: Description of medications that may help to slow the rate of cognitive decline, or help with symptoms such as changes in language, thinking abilities and movement as well as potential side effects.

• Medications to help treat behaviour changes - Government of Alberta: Information on medications that can help to to treat behaviour problems caused by Alzheimer's disease and other diseases that cause dementia.

• Antipsychotics and other drug approaches in dementia care - Alzheimer’s Society [UK]: Information about the use and effects of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and drugs to treat symptoms of dementia.

• Medications and dementia - University of California San Francisco - Memory & Aging Center [US]: Learn about medications to treat symptoms of dementia and medications to avoid for people living with cognitive issues.

• Medication use in older adults - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): Information about what to look out for with regards to side effects of medications.

Palliative and Comfort Care

• Pamphlets for residents and families in long-term care - McMaster University: Informational pamphlets about various conditions such as dementia, heart failure, and advanced frailty as well as what to do after a death, dealing with grief and loss, and resources on grief, bereavement and loss.

• Webinar on what to expect near the end of life - Dr. Marie-Lee Yous: Webinar on palliative and end-of-life care, goals of care, common decisions, and what to expect near the end for persons living with dementia [video].

The Ontario Caregiver Organization

• Support for caregivers: Helpline, webinars, and other resources for caregivers in Ontario.

• 24/7 hotline for caregivers (non-emergencies)

BrainXChange

• Caregiver support and resources: Presentations and links to other organizations and resources

Home and Community Care Support Services (ON only)

• Home and community care support services - Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care: Information about services to live independently at home or apply for admission to long-term care.