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Program in Ottawa helps adults with dementia maintain social and physical activities – The Globe and Mail

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Sylvain Lepage, seen here on Jan. 25, 2020, stopped seeing his friends and quit attending family gatherings, as his condition sapped his motivation to leave the house.

Justin Tang/The Globe and Mail

While his wife and friends are busy at work, Sylvain Lepage spends much of his time secluded at home. The 48-year-old was forced to take early retirement and relinquish his driver’s license when he was diagnosed with a form of young-onset dementia in October. He stopped seeing his friends and quit attending family gatherings, as his condition sapped his motivation to leave the house.

But on Tuesdays, Lepage gets a break from his social isolation.

As a participant of a new weekly recreational program in Ottawa for adults with young-onset dementia, he spends his Tuesdays playing badminton, swimming, weight-training and having fun with his peers.

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“We laugh. We laugh all day long,” he said. “We all know what [kind of dementia] we have. But the nice part is [that] by coming here, we forget about it. You don’t walk on eggshells because you’re not afraid to say, ‘Did I ask that already?’ ”

The program, officially launched last week by the non-profit Carefor Health and Community Services and Carleton University, provides an opportunity for adults with young-onset dementia (those ages 65 and under) to socialize and engage in physical activity at the university’s athletics facilities, while offering respite for those caring for them. But the scarcity of such programs highlights the unmet needs of individuals with dementia in their 40s, 50s and early 60s.

Adults with young-onset dementia account for an estimated 2 to 8 per cent all dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. But not only is this cohort typically more physically active than older adults with dementia, they’re at a different stage of life, and thus, have different financial and family circumstances, said Robin Meyers, a director at Carefor. Some may still be working or adjusting to giving up their jobs. They may also have mortgages, partners who still work full-time and children at home or in college.

To have young-onset dementia, “it’s such a dramatic change,” she said. “They’re functioning in their life fairly normally, and all of a sudden, something’s happening and they can’t do a lot of things they used to do.”

Meyers and her team started the program after seeing a growing number of people under the age of 65 with dementia attending Carefor’s adult day programs. In addition, Meyers’s husband Keith Barrett also has a type of young-onset dementia, and although he is not a participant of the new program, the couple has a network of friends in a similar situation.

YouQuest currently has about a dozen participants, and nearly double that number on its waiting list.

Justin Tang/The Globe and Mail

“We wanted to see something like this be available for the people that we knew because there was nothing,” she said.

The program takes inspiration from one in Calgary, called YouQuest, designed to offer meaningful activities, peer support and a sense of community for this cohort. Once a week, supported by a team of volunteers and recreational therapists, participants of YouQuest spend the day doing a fitness activity of their choosing, such as yoga or working out with gym equipment, sharing lunch and coffee, and going on day hikes or outings to the zoo, the library or museums.

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YouQuest’s co-founder Cindy McCaffery said her program has been a “lifesaver,” for herself and her husband John, who was diagnosed with young-onset dementia at age 48. After he gave up his job due to his illness, he lost his work friends and went from being active and cycling everyday to sitting at home in the couple’s basement watching Star Trek.

“Then he would get crabby because he’d have cabin fever,” McCaffery said, explaining YouQuest gives him something to look forward to, and gives her peace of mind while she’s at work.

The program, however, cannot keep up with demand. YouQuest currently has about a dozen participants, and nearly double that number on its waiting list, McCaffery said.

While there is no indication that the incidence of young-onset dementia is on the rise, more people are being recognized with it now due to growing awareness of these conditions, said Adriana Shnall, program director of Baycrest@Home, a project of Toronto’s Baycrest aimed at delivering virtual programming and services for older adults and their families. But even so, it takes an average of five years to get a proper diagnosis, as symptoms are commonly mistaken for other conditions, such as depression or menopause, she said.

One of the challenges of providing programs and services for people with young-onset dementia is they can require very different needs, depending on the type of dementia they have, Shnall said. For example, those with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease, typically characterized by memory loss and problems with cognitive function, may be more easily integrated in programs designed for older adults. By contrast, those with frontotemporal dementia, a common category of dementia among younger adults that often starts with personality changes and disinhibition, are more likely to prefer keeping physically busy and sticking to routines, she said.

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CFIA continues surveillance for HPAI in cattle, while sticking with original name for disease – RealAgriculture

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The Canada Food Inspection Agency will continue to refer to highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle as HPAI in cattle, and not refer to it as bovine influenza A virus (BIAV), as suggested by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners earlier this month.

Dr. Martin Appelt, senior director for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in the interview below, says at this time Canada will stick with “HPAI in cattle” when referencing the disease that’s been confirmed in dairy cattle in multiple states in the U.S.

The CFIA’s naming policy is consistent with the agency’s U.S. counterparts’, as the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has also said it will continue referring to it as HPAI or H5N1.

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Appelt explains how the CFIA is learning from the U.S. experience to-date, and how it is working with veterinarians across Canada to stay vigilant for signs of the disease in dairy and beef cattle.

As of April 19, there has not been a confirmed case of HPAI in cattle in Canada. Appelt says it’s too soon to say if an eventual positive case will significantly restrict animal movement, as is the case with positive poultry cases.

This is a major concern for the cattle industry, as beef cattle especially move north and south across the U.S. border by the thousands. Appelt says that CFIA will address an infection in each species differently in conjunction with how the disease is spread and the threat to neighbouring farms or livestock.

Currently, provincial dairy organizations have advised producers to postpone any non-essential tours of dairy barns, as a precaution, in addition to other biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of cattle contracting HPAI.

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Toronto reports 2 more measles cases. Use our tool to check the spread in Canada – Toronto Star

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Canada has seen a concerning rise in measles cases in the first months of 2024.

By the third week of March, the country had already recorded more than three times the number of cases as all of last year. Canada had just 12 cases of measles in 2023, up from three in 2022.

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Cancer Awareness Month – Métis Nation of Alberta

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Cancer Awareness Month

Posted on: Apr 18, 2024

April is Cancer Awareness Month

As we recognize Cancer Awareness Month, we stand together to raise awareness, support those affected, advocate for prevention, early detection, and continued research towards a cure. Cancer is the leading cause of death for Métis women and the second leading cause of death for Métis men. The Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation Within Alberta is working hard to ensure that available supports for Métis Citizens battling cancer are culturally appropriate, comprehensive, and accessible by Métis Albertans at all stages of their cancer journey.

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Receiving a cancer diagnosis, whether for yourself or a loved one, can feel overwhelming, leaving you unsure of where to turn for support. In June, our government will be launching the Cancer Supports and Navigation Program which will further support Métis Albertans and their families experiencing cancer by connecting them to OMG-specific cancer resources, external resources, and providing navigation support through the health care system. This program will also include Métis-specific peer support groups for those affected by cancer.

With funding from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) we have also developed the Métis Cancer Care Course to ensure that Métis Albertans have access to culturally safe and appropriate cancer services. This course is available to cancer care professionals across the country and provides an overview of who Métis people are, our culture, our approaches to health and wellbeing, our experiences with cancer care, and our cancer journey.

Together, we can make a difference in the fight against cancer and ensure equitable access to culturally safe and appropriate care for all Métis Albertans. Please click on the links below to learn more about the supports available for Métis Albertans, including our Compassionate Care: Cancer Transportation program.

I wish you all good health and happiness!

Bobbi Paul-Alook
Secretary of Health & Seniors

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