Due to the growth in our ageing population in the Pembina Valley, Alzheimer's Disease is on the rise in the region affecting hundreds of new individuals and their families every year.

January is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba that means it's a time to remind the public we are there to support, assist, and help educate those impacted by the disease.

"We need to ask the right questions, if we don't ask the right questions people with early on Dementia can often get away with it due to there long term memory functioning reasonably well." said Dr. Denis Fortier Vice President of medical services for Southern health Sante Sud.

Fortier explains the questions we should be asking and why.

Some of the common symptoms people with early onset Alzheimer's could include; memory loss, difficulty performing familiar tasks, problems with language, disorientation in time and space, impaired judgement, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, changes in mood and behaviour, changes in personality, and loss of initiative.

Mental illnesses (like schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disease) are disorders of the brain. So is dementia. In early stages of Alzheimer's, people may experience personality changes such as irritability, anxiety or depression. In later stages, other symptoms may occur, including sleep disturbances; agitation (physical or verbal outbursts, general emotional distress, restlessness, pacing, shredding paper or tissues, yelling); delusions (firmly held belief in things that are not real); or hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there).

Many individuals with Alzheimer’s and their families find behavioural and psychiatric symptoms to be the most challenging and distressing effects of the disease.

"Thinking is more than just memory, it's about understanding our vital duty to do things like pay our bills, it's more than just a memory loss it's the loss of the ability to function in your daily living," says Fortier.

Fortier added we need to exercise our brain like we do our bodies to possibly prolong or avoid the affects of Alzheimer's Disease. Things like crosswords, reading, sadoku, even learning a new language has proven in studies to prevent or slow down the process or affects of the disease.

"Taking a baby asprin a day after the age of fifty, although it does not prevent Alzheimer's dementia it does does prevent dementia's related to heart disease and mini strokes." stated Fortier.