More than 350 people gathered on Mar. 10 in
Edmonton’s Fantasyland Hotel for two-day national conference called Walk With Me. Participants from across Canada included caregivers, educators, policy makers and researchers. Their common goal: Learn how to enhance the
journey of aging across the continuum of care and community living.
One way the event organizers
brought their message to life was listening to keynote speaker Jim Mann talk about his experiences with Alzheimer's.
Diagnosed in 2007 at the age of 58, Mann was
an articulate and engaging spokesperson for delegates.
Now 67 and living in B.C., he
advocates across Canada for culture change among older adults, including those
living with dementia.
“There is
life after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's,” says Mann. “You can live well with
dementia. For someone who is not diagnosed and is very creative trying to hide
it – well, the earlier you’re diagnosed, the better it is.”
 |
| Jim Mann speaks at the conference "Walk With Me" on March 10 in Edmonton's Fantasyland Hotel |
He urged people to get an early diagnosis, even if they
are currently employed. Don't cover it
up, advises Mann. “Talk to your employer, because sometimes adjustments can be
made at the workplace so you can continue working and contributing.” Mann was a director for Canadian Airlines
for 25 years when he was diagnosed.
“You're able to take control of your
affairs, whether they be legal or financial, and not have somebody deal with
that too late,” says Mann. “When I got my diagnosis, it was sort of a relief in
a way in that I had a name for all of the stupid things I was doing.”
Lori
Sigurdson, the provincial government Minister of Seniors and Housing, attended
the Embracing Aging networking
session, and was impressed with what she saw. “I think it's wonderful that
we're expanding our understanding of what it means to age in our society and
making it more age friendly,” said Sigurdson. “The people at this conference
are at the leading edge of that, and we really appreciate the work they're
doing. It's really exciting.”
Josie d’Avernas, Vice
President of the Research Institute for Aging at the University of Waterloo,
was the conference co-host. Her organization partnered with CapitalCare to
deliver what became Canada’s second national conference on aging.
“We’re trying to bring awareness about
this national movement to embrace aging, not fear it,” says d’Avernas. “We’re
discussing ways to engage older adults in a meaningful way. They have lots of wisdom
capital to offer, and lots of purpose. The culture change movement is about
shifting that thinking, of valuing aging and embracing aging, instead of
dreading it.”
CapitalCare
Acting Chief Operating Officer Francine Drisner, the conference co-host, was
pleased with the results. “This was really positive, we're now moving to more
of a national focus. We have to build on a national vision for how we look at aging,
and how can we change the culture of how we look at being older.”
In the
photo above, Jim Mann (second from left) shakes hands with Lori Sigurdson
(second from right), Minister of Seniors and Housing during the Embracing Aging networking session on Mar. 10 in Edmonton’s Fantasyland Hotel. Also seen
here are Francine
Drisner (left), CapitalCare Acting Chief Operating Officer and Josie d’Avernas (right), Vice
President of the Research Institute for Aging at the University of Waterloo. © Grant Cree photo.
Grant Cree is an
Edmonton-based photojournalist focusing on photo and video event coverage to
help clients connect with their audiences. www.grantcree.ca 780-940-3228
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