A call for dementia to be health-care priority
An advocate for Alzheimer’s awareness in B.C. — and himself a sufferer — was in Kamloops last week, urging officials to take a hard look at how dementias are handled.
Jim Mann, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2007, called for planning to cope with an anticipated spike in the numbers of Alzheimer’s patients.
“I am pushing for a plan and pushing real hard,” he said.
“Businesses don’t just happen to make products. They plan how to make them and plan how many they need.
“Likewise, B.C. needs a plan . . . to support and provide care for the increasing number of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”
There are an estimated 70,000 people in B.C. living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
According to Mann, that number will balloon to 177,000 in the next three decades.
“I’m looking for a document that clearly identifies the way forward,” he said. “Dementia must be a health-care priority in B.C.”
Among the issues Mann would like to see addressed are support for family caregivers, policies promoting early diagnosis and advanced training for health-care workers.
For more information on Mann’s campaign, go online here.
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