January proclaimed National Alzheimer Awareness Month in Sioux Lookout

Tim Brody - Editor

Sioux Lookout Mayor Doug Lawrance was joined by Alzheimer Society representative Betty Lee-Lawrence on Jan. 5, at the Municipal Office, to recognize January as National Alzheimer Awareness Month.
Lawrance read a special proclamation and the Alzheimer Society’s flag was raised for the month at the Municipal Office.
“Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are everyone’s concern, and we need to put our mind to taking action now, while there is still time,” Lawrance said, adding, “Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are degenerative brain disorders that most often occur in people over the age of 60 but can strike adults at any age…Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias affect an estimated 500,000 Canadians, a number that will increase substantially with our aging population.”
Lawrance added that, “Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias take their toll on hundreds of thousands of families and caregivers and… There is an urgent need to reduce the stigma that surrounds Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias so that the barriers in our communities can be removed and all Canadians touched by these diseases can be diagnosed and treated.”
“Presently, there is no known cure for these devastating illnesses… If a cure is not found, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias may prove to have the highest economic, social, and health cost burden of all diseases in Canada,” Lawrance concluded.