Each January, the Alzheimer Society supports and leads Canada's Alzheimer's Awareness Month.

From the 23,000 Manitobans living with Alzheimer's or Dementia, according to Kathy Fehr, South Central regional coordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, to the thousands more serving as caregivers, the Society ensures the continuation of information and resources to aid in the journey.

"That's huge numbers," added Fehr. "We also know that's not going to change, the numbers are growing and growing."

While signs of Alzheimer's or Dementia include short term memory loss, the list also includes confusion, mood changes, difficulty completing or starting every day tasks, and communication and comprehension impairment - not knowing how to explain needs/wants but also not being able to understand what others are asking.

According to Fehr, most families who reach out to her office are looking for support and community resources they can access in order to help them and their loved ones navigate the many uncertainties.

"Then we have this pandemic and that has been super difficult on folks," she added.

For some, they haven't been able to visit a loved one living with a brain disease in a personal care home, while those with Alzheimer's or Dementia can't always remember day-to-day or even hour-by-hour why they can't go out for coffee or run errands due to public health orders. Fehr says that has left many caregivers struggling to address these new hurdles as well.

"They want to find out what they can do or how they can change it, and the thing is we can't change it, we have to try and adapt to the struggles," explained Fehr. She added the disease affects everyone differently and as a result, their needs are also different.

"We still want to stay strong and we want to encourage people for what they are doing, and they are doing the very best they can," added Fehr.

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