Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of conditions affecting one’s ability to function independently due to changes in thinking, personality, or behaviour. Individuals with dementia may experience changes in their memory, language abilities, decision-making, and how they interact with other people. Dementia also has significant impacts on caregivers, families and society.
Some key facts about dementia:
- dementia doesn’t just affect older people – young onset dementia can affect those in their 40s or 50s;
- dementia is more than just memory loss – it affects day-to-day activities, mood and behaviours;
- dementia is progressive; and
- dementia has no known cure…yet.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia. There are many other types of dementia, including:
- Vascular dementia;
- Frontotemporal dementia;
- Lewy body dementia;
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease;
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome; and
- Mixed dementia.
What are some signs?
Dementia is not a normal part of aging and there are several risk factors. It interferes with daily life and activities and gets worse over time. Some signs of dementia may include:
- memory loss;
- changes in mood, behaviour and personality; or
- difficulties with thinking, problem-solving and language.
How to reduce your risk for dementia?
Some dementia risk factors, like age and genetics, can't be changed. Here are some tips to lower your risk:
- stay physically active;
- stay socially active;
- eat healthy;
- get good quality sleep; and
- protect your heart.
The First Link ® Dementia Helpline is for anyone affected by dementia, whether they are living with dementia or are supporting someone living with dementia.
This helpline:
- provides general information about dementia;
- provides resources available in your community including support groups and upcoming education workshops; and
- provides information on supports to navigate the dementia journey.
Yukoners can reach the helpline by calling the toll-free number: 1-888-852-2579, available from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 8 pm. All calls are confidential.
Learn more about the First Link ® Yukon Dementia Helpline.
Whether you are someone living with dementia or looking for information about the disease, here’s some information to help along the journey.
While these resources provide important information, it's not a substitute to talking to your health care provider.
General information
A podcast by Baycrest dedicated to helping you reduce your dementia risk hosted by Jay Ingram and Dr. Allison Sekuler.
Dispelling the myths of dementia
Information about the misconceptions of dementia.
Find a audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists can assist with diagnosing hearing, communication and swallowing impairments related to dementia.
Frequently asked questions about dementia
Common questions and answers about dementia.
Government of Canada – Dementia Overview
Information about dementia, including statistics of dementia in Canada and Canada’s dementia strategy.
Explores the impacts, signs and symptoms of communication disorders with a focus on hearing loss and dementia.
A summary of Indigenous views on dementia developed by Native Women’s Association of Canada.
Learn more about the other types of dementia
Information about the different types of dementia including Alzheimer's.
Learn about the stages of dementia
An overview on dementia’s stages and end-of-life-care.
Reducing the risks of dementia
10 ways to reduce the risk of dementia.
The Indigenous Cognition & Aging Awareness Research Exchange (I-CAARE) dementia factsheets
Dementia resources from an indigenous perspective from the Indigenous Cognition and Aging Awareness Research Exchange US|CA.
Communication strategies
Strategies to deal with common communication changes along the dementia journey.
A guide to help navigate conversations around driving with dementia and maintaining freedom.
How to talk about the disease with others
A tool to help guide difficult conversations after being diagnosed.
Preparing to talk to your doctor
Information to help prepare to talk to your doctor.
Here is a checklist for your next doctor’s visit.
This section includes resources, training, and long-term care planning for those supporting someone living with dementia.
While these resources provide important information, it's not a substitute to talking to your health care provider.
Caregiver supports
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Support Group
Available to caregivers and family members. This group meets virtually, twice a month. For more information and to see if it’s a right fit for you, contact: jlewis56@outlook.com.
Ambiguous Loss and Grief in Dementia
Tips and suggestions for caregivers to deal with ambiguous grief.
Information and caregiving tips from Family Caregiver Alliance.
A tool to assess your own well-being as a caregiver.
Strategies and caregiver supports from Family Caregiver Alliance.
Tips for looking after your own health while caring for someone along the dementia journey.
General information
A guide for Yukon Seniors and Elders
Programs and services guide for seniors from The Yukon Council of Aging.
Tips from the Alzheimer Society on caring for someone long distance.
Tips for families after the diagnosis
Here are tips and steps to prepare for the future.
What to expect during the dementia progression
What to expect in each stage of dementia.
Dementia and Responsive Behaviours
An information sheet on things to consider when having conversations about responsive behaviours.
Training
Free training lessons as you navigate the dementia journey.
SPARK: Shine a Light on Dementia Caregiver Training
Free training that shares information and develops skills to provide quality care for people with dementia.
Long-term care planning
Plan for your future health care choices and create an advanced directive in the Yukon.
Information on long-term care homes in the Yukon
Learn more about one of four long-term care homes in the Yukon.
Learn more about the process for wills and estates.
Long-term Care: Preparing for the move
Steps and tips for moving into a long-term care.
Long-term Care: Adjusting after the move
Strategies to help with the difficult adjustment of moving to long-term care.
Planning for future health care decisions
Learn more about the steps for planning for future health care decisions.
A series of dementia tools and resources for health care providers. If you are a health care provider and need access to certain resources, please contact the Behavioural Care Resource Team at HSS-SHA-CC-BCRT@yukon.ca.
Behavioural assessment and documentation tools
Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence (ABC) Charting
Suggested charting method to track behaviours and document contextual information on the behaviours.
Behavioural Supports Ontario – Dementia Observation System (BSO-DOS©)
The BSO-DOS© is an observation tool that provides objective and measurable data about a person living with dementia.
Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI)
The CMAI is an observation tool used to assess the frequency of manifestations of agitated behaviors in elderly persons. Reference manual for more information.
A suggested screening tool for depression in people living with dementia.
A suggested questionnaire that looks for a change in behaviour and personality. Reference manual for more information.
A suggested tool to screen for depression in elderly persons.
A suggested tool designed to rate the severity of depression in patients.
Kingston Standardized Behavioural Assessment – Community Form
The KSBA provides a broad and realistic behavioural assessment without specially trained personnel. The Community Form can predict when long-term care placement is needed.
Nurses Global Assessment of Suicide Risk
A suggested tool for assessing suicide risk.
A suggested tool for a comprehensive assessment of psychopathology in patients with dementia. Also included in this resource is the background of the tool.
Pain Assessment in Advance Dementia (PAINAD)
The PAINAD assess pain in patients who are cognitively impaired, non-communicative, or suffering from dementia and unable to use self report methods to describe pain.
Cognitive assessment tools
Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool (CICA)
The Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (CICA) is a First Nations community-informed dementia case finding tool. It is a suggested tool to determine cognitive impairment.
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-2 ® ™)
The MMSE-2 is a brief, quantitative measure of cognitive status in adults. It can be used to screen for cognitive impairment or to estimate the severity of cognitive impairment at a given point in time.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA test)
A cognitive screening test that assesses different cognitive domains, attention and concentration, conceptual thinking and memory.
Dementia approaches and best practices
Appropriate Use of Antipsychotic (AUA)
A toolkit that provides guidance regarding the assessment and management of responsive behaviours associated with cognitive impairment and appropriate use of medications in older adults.
Behaviour and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Algorithm (BPSD)
This tool assesses non-cognitive symptoms of perception, thought content, mood or behaviour that frequently occurs in patients with dementia.
Dementia information for first responders
Information for first responders on how to recognize, communicate with and respond to someone with dementia. Here are a 10 quick tips for communicating when talking to a person with dementia.
A tool to support conversations with those living with dementia. It takes a grounding approach to the person and their unique lived experience as central to their care from the beginning.
A suggested tool for an evidence informed approach to collaborative assessment and shared care focusing on the person-centred approach.
General information
Ambiguous Loss and Grief in Dementia
Tips and suggestions for health care providers on ambiguous grief.
Palliative care tools
Advance Care Planning in Canada: Resource Guide for Home and Community Care
A map of available resources to engage home and community care providers in 3 target behaviours for successful Advance Care Planning.
Training and education resources
A free training program to enhance baseline knowledge of frontline staff in caring for people with dementia.
A training certificate for health care providers and caregivers on dementia.
Gentle Persuasive Approach (GPA)
GPA Basics is a dementia care education curriculum based on a person-centred care approach. It is designed for interdisciplinary point of care staff across healthcare sectors.
The Geriatric Certificate Program consists of educational programming that is aimed at improving quality of care for our aging population, thereby enhancing the quality of life for Canada's older adults.
Northern Health geriatrics recordings
Free recorded sessions on geriatrics from Northern Health’s annual Northern Doctors Day conference.
A learning resource for health care providers supporting Seniors and Elders living with dementia.
Project ECHO (Extension of Community Health Outcomes)
Project ECHO is offered through Baycrest and helps link primary care providers to an interprofessional team of geriatric specialists through weekly videoconferencing sessions.
Training program for non-registered (non-regulated) health care providers to develop a common knowledge base, language, values and approach to caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment.
Other information and resources for those living with dementia, caregivers, family members and healthcare provides.
While these resources provide important information, it's not a substitute to talking to your health care provider.
Brain health
An evidence-based guide to maintaining a health mind
A wellness guide by Cogniciti that covers tips and information on brain health with a focus on memory and dementia.
Brain-healthy tips to reduce your risk of dementia
Evidence-based tips and strategies to help you lead a healthy, balanced lifestyle that reduces your risk of dementia.
A series of resources for brain related topics. This includes topics like driving with dementia, types of dementia or brain injury and how it related to dementia.
Two popular brain games with a Canadian twist.
A free program to help provide lifestyle habits that support physical and cognitive health.
A free online brain assessment tool. While this tool takes a clinical approach, it is not a substitute to talking to your health care provider.
Government of Yukon documents
This action plan provides a path to promote the well-being of Yukon Seniors and Elders.
Putting People First final report
The road map to creating a health and social system that serves the needs of Yukoners better. It includes 76 recommendations on health and social services in the territory.
Yukon Health Status Report 2022
The Yukon Health Status Report provides an important measure of the health and well-being of Yukoners.
Other programs and services
Adult Protection Services provides help for someone being abused or neglected.
The Canadian Virtual Hospice provides support for advanced illness, palliative care, loss and grief, people living with illness, family members, people working in healthcare, educators and researchers.
Chronic Conditions Support Program
The Chronic Conditions Support Program (CCSP) is a patient-centered collaborative care team. It offers programs and services for Yukoners living with chronic health conditions.
Eating healthy can help reduce the risk of dementia. There are registered dietitians available to all Yukoners.
A home-based program that provides clients with health services in their homes and supports Yukoners to live independently.
Hospice Yukon provides programs and services to help you to better understand the journey of living, dying and grieving.
Palliative care is a specialized approach to care for people and families living with a life-limiting illness. They help navigate the health care system and provide education, resources, and support care providers.
Yukon Council on Aging (YCOA) offers the Seniors’ Information Centre, the Seniors' Home and Yard Maintenance Program and a variety of publications.
The Yukon Housing Corporation (YHC) has programs such as social housing, rent subsidy, loans to repair home.
The Yukon Legal Service Society provides legal aid, legal resources and publications for low-income clients. They provide accessible, cost effective and professional legal services in criminal, family, child protection, mental health, and poverty law to eligible people throughout the Yukon.
Other supporting resources and documents
Alzheimer Society – Dementia information in other languages
The Alzheimer Society in Canada has a series of resources in different languages.
Alzheimer Society – National resources library
The Alzheimer Society in Canada has a broad range of informational documents, videos and links related to dementia. These resources are for people living with dementia, families, caregivers, healthcare providers and more.
The Many Faces of Dementia in Canada
A landmark study about dementia. A landmark study about dementia study that seeks to better understand the many faces of dementia so no one is left behind.
If you have any questions about these resources, please contact: hss@yukon.ca or HSS-SHA-CC-BCRT@yukon.ca
Last updated: June 13, 2024