Senior’s Week returns

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Senior’s Week is once again being recognized across Alberta, June 3-9, serving as an outlet to show appreciation for older adults and their contributions to local communities.

Megan Williams, communication specialist for Alzheimer Calgary explained this year’s theme for Senior’s Week is “aging more,” encouraging everyone to spend more time with the older adults in their lives. 

“For us at Alzheimer Calgary that is including those with Alzheimer’s and dementia, because we know that a common myth around dementia is that once you have a diagnosis, your life is over,” said Williams. “We know, and we really want people to know that you can still spend a lot of great quality time with your person living with dementia and they still love to do many of their preferred activities and the things that they have always liked to do, and eat, and places that they like to visit.”

In Strathmore, Bridging the Gap is hosting a series of events each day throughout Senior’s Week. These include workshops, swimming, artistic activities, and more. 

These, as well as the associated times each event will be taking place are listed via the Bridging the Gap website. 

“Alzheimer Calgary is really committed to reducing stigma and raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the community. Last year, we launched our ‘stillme.ca’ website which has a lot of great tips, tricks, tools, and a whole section on myth busting,” added Williams. “We really encourage people to go and visit the website so they can find some of those resources and tips around having a great visit, tips around body language, tips around what you can expect (and) living with someone post diagnosis.”

Also made available are resources about activities which can reduce the risk of dementia for seniors. 

These include activities which are good for the heart as well as the brain such as not smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, getting good sleep and making healthy eating choices. 

“The mandate of Seniors Week really is to just encourage (people) to spend time with older adults in their lives. We know that all of those relationships can have great benefits for seniors and older adults,” said Williams. “We want to share the message to not be intimidated or afraid to spend time with your loved one post diagnosis. They may have some unexpected behaviors, ask a lot of questions or have you repeat things, or seem confused at times, but that does not mean that they do not still enjoy spending time with you.”