dementia support group celebrates key milestone
by: julio heleno gomez
when bill heibein was first diagnosed with early-onset alzheimer's he was told that within five years his condition would worsen and he could expect to end up in a nursing home. more than two decades later he continues to lead an active and fulfilling life, playing music and keeping busy on his farm.
“in many respects i have credited horses with saving me,” the affable 83-year-old declares. “i don't consider myself special. anybody could've done it had they the opportunity. having a farm has made a gigantic difference to me.”
along with defying daunting odds, bill is also one of the original members of the north west dementia working group (nwdwg). the independent grassroots advocacy group, the first in canada for people living with dementia, was formed thanks to 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 researcher dr. elaine wiersma.
“it's about giving voice to people living with dementia, maintaining their rights, living well, free from discrimination,” explains dr. nisha sutherland, the group's co-facilitator.
started 10 years ago, nwdwg brought people living with dementia and their care partners together to discuss self-care. from that modest beginning, friendships were formed and the desire to do more was born.
“they wanted to continue being an advocacy group, provide activities for people living with dementia, be a political advocate for people living with dementia,” explains sutherland, who's been with the group for eight years and is associate professor in lakehead's school of nursing. “if there are dementia strategies or local, provincial policy issues then we address them.”
the latest project, the building capacity project, examined community resources, such as libraries, to make sure they're inclusive for people living with dementia.
in recognition of these initiatives, last year wiersma, sutherland and the nwdwg received lakehead's community engaged research award.
with 15-20 attendees at their monthly meetings and large sunday gatherings at the dementia cafe, the nwdwg is firmly established and has plenty to celebrate. over the years they have hosted conferences and visiting scholars, provided presentations on challenging the stigma of dementia, and have been an integral element in projects supported by the centre for education and research on aging & health (cerah).
at its core, though, the essence of nwdwg is companionship, of spending time with people on a similar journey. for sue doughty-smith, introduction to the group came at exactly the right time. her husband was diagnosed with alzheimer's in late 2020, during the covid lockdown.
“i was in a really bad state,” doughty-smith confesses. “i thought my world was turned upside down. you just felt you have nowhere to turn to and then there is this group. so when you meet people whose lives are sort of the same, but we're on different steps in our journey, it was wonderful to be with them. you already have empathy for each other, you get to know each other really well and you become better connected. it's a really good group that my husband and i both belong to.”
along with the camaraderie and frequent get-togethers, doughty-smith praises nwdwg participants as people willing to roll up their sleeves to get things done.
“i like it because it's real work,” she says. “sometimes you talk about things you wish would happen. but this group, once you start looking at things that we can do, you just get going and everybody pools their resources to work on it.”
the latest example is dementia gardens: a place to grow. an initiative with cerah, in partnership with community groups such as chartwell retirement homes, it's in the fundraising stage right now. but the concept is exciting, says sutherland.
“people living with dementia and their families can come outside and grow native gardens that encourage pollinators, and this can be respite for the family, for 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to learn about engaging with people living with dementia and to conduct research,” she says, adding that they hope to start digging this summer.
this is the kind of effort that makes the group so special, says bill. from the beginning the focus was on the person living with dementia and what they wanted to see done that would be best for them.
“the approach was not from the top down,” he says. “the approach was from the bottom up. 'what do you think will be beneficial to you?' that was the big difference in the approaches.”
when his decline became noticeable in 1998 and he was given dire scenarios, bill retired from his position at a major thunder bay accounting firm to assist his wife full-time at their quarter horse farm near kakabeka falls, regularly baling hay and chopping wood. while he has been on medication, his miraculous ability to keep his condition at bay has drawn the interest of researchers at the university of british columbia, waterloo, and lakehead. the latest batch of mri and ct scans show his decline is no more significant than normal aging.
what's his secret?
the answer: strenuous physical activity on a 150-acre property and engaging key parts of the brain by performing in a band on bass guitar.
“the doctors said to me they don't know for sure what i'm doing, but whatever it is don't stop,” bill says. “just by pure chance i'm doing the things i should be doing, what everybody says that someone living with dementia should be doing.”
pictured: bill mercereau, left, along with bailey vandorp, a then-master of public health student, and bill heibein accept the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 community engaged research award on behalf of the north west dementia working group.
valerie pringle enjoyed a distinguished career as a broadcaster for 50 years. she was a well-known anchor of two national news programs - midday on cbc and canada am on ctv where she covered major stories of the day, from national elections and royal weddings to space launches and the olympics. valerie is currently host and producer of canada files on pbs.
steve clarke, prominent local business leader and former mayor of orillia, is an advocate for 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜
. he was engaged in strong lobbying activities for provincial government support of the orillia campus and the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜
-georgian college partnership. as mayor, he consistently supported and promoted the university through his public platform. through his business, brewery bay food co., steve is actively involved in lakehead’s humanities 101 program, hosting fundraising events and providing meals for 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛
.
around the world, individuals and groups are rallying to draw attention to the climate emergency. curated by dr. pauline sameshima, professor in the faculty of education, and robin faye, one cell, the world is a research-art catalogue on climate action from the lakehead galleries featuring essays, poetry, art, videos, music, and more, from diverse communities on the climate crisis.
it was the height of the covid-19 pandemic when arshea amer began her lakehead journey.
fashion designer 
“dr. siddall was the first person i’ve worked with to incorporate indigenous art into convocation robes—she’s a pioneer,” beverli says. “before then, the regalia was very stuffy and conventional.”
melissa benson, a member of the chippewas of rama first nation, has created the beaded sash that dr. siddall will wear for the convocation ceremonies at lakehead orillia.
the sash for the lakehead thunder bay convocation ceremonies has been created by anishinaabe advocate daanis pelletier (she/her) from fort william first nation.
a proud member of the bearskin lake first nation, rosie has devoted her life to community development, political advocacy, and the advancement of indigenous rights. she was the first female chief in the western part of nishnawbe aski nation (nan) in 1986, marking a milestone in indigenous leadership.
dr. samantha nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author and the founder and president of war child usa and war child canada. for over two decades, she has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises - from iraq to afghanistan, somalia to the democratic republic of congo, and sierra leone to darfur, sudan. a leading authority on public health, war, international aid and foreign policy, dr. nutt is a highly acclaimed public speaker in north america.
waabibizhikiikwe is bear clan from lac seul first nation and a residential school survivor. she is a translator, ojibwe author, and teacher. her company, mazinaate, has been publishing indigenous language books and resources since 1998 - a total of 15 titles in all. an assistant professor at the university of manitoba, she is actively involved in promoting and preserving the ojibwe language.
murray walberg has been an ambassador for 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜
for more than 20 years, including his time as a member of the board of governors (2010-2018) during which he spent two years as chair. murray’s dedication has been pivotal to making lakehead a strong and vibrant institution—from his most recent efforts shaping the university’s future capital campaign to supporting student scholarships and learning to successfully championing the internationalization of the university. 
dr. jaro kotalik is a physician-bioethicist, chair and founding director of the centre for health care ethics at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜
. his experience as a practicing oncologist and ceo of the thunder bay regional cancer centre informed his vision to establish a firm grounding in healthcare ethics in thunder bay and the region's academic and healthcare institutions. the centre's continued growth, with its 25 institutional members; its expanding research and education; and two bioethicists serving our area testify to a vision fulfilled.