Alzheimer's Disease Mission for Memories
Today Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada's first woman in space and the world's first astronaut neurologist, announced the launch of a national awareness initiative on Alzheimer's disease, entitled Alzheimer's Disease Mission for Memories: Taking action today for a better tomorrow.
The year 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the identification of Alzheimer's disease by Dr. Alois Alzheimer. Mission for Memories celebrates this important milestone, as well as the important treatment advances made to date, in order to give hope to patients and caregivers for discoveries yet to come.
As a neurologist, Dr. Bondar understands the significance of educating Canadians about Alzheimer's disease, as well as increasing awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. "Marking the 100th year since Dr. Alois Alzheimer first described the disease that bears his name, public awareness of its signs, symptoms, progression and available family supports will complement and enhance the great strides made by medicine in diagnosing and treating this form of dementia," stated Dr. Bondar, spokesperson, Mission for Memories.
Early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's can help delay the symptomatic progression of the disease and allow both patients and caregivers to continue to share memories and enjoy life. Although there are interventions available that can help slow progression of symptoms, continuing research is needed into causes and treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
"While some memory loss can be common, Alzheimer's disease causes more severe memory and cognitive difficulties that begin to interfere with daily functioning and should prompt people to take action for themselves or someone they care for," said Dr. Sandra Black, Head of Neurology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. "Regardless of the stage of the disease there is something that you can do and research is leading to new options. Awareness initiatives such as Mission for Memories help educate people and break down the barriers to diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
This attitude was confirmed through extensive opinion research completed in late 2005 by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of Pfizer Canada. Nearly one out of every three Canadians identified at high risk for Alzheimer's disease(1) had not consulted a physician at the time of the survey. In 69% of the cases, the most common reason for not consulting a physician was the belief that memory loss was normal.
The main objective of this awareness initiative is to provide the opportunity for Canadians to learn more about Alzheimer's disease and the importance of early diagnosis. The series of interactive public forums will feature Dr. Bondar and leading Canadian Alzheimer's disease specialists and researchers. The forums will take place in four major Canadian cities throughout 2006 (Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and Vancouver) and will be open to the public.
The first public forum will take place in Toronto on March 9th, as part of the Speaker Series at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Mission for Memories is made possible through a sponsorship grant from Pfizer Canada Inc.
