New website will assist people with dementia

Researchers from McMaster and the University of Waterloo have developed a new website to help those living with dementia navigate the journey.

Living with Dementia was designed to provide newly diagnosed people and their caregivers with information and resources needed to live well. The new research-based website, available in both English and French, was created in collaboration with people living with dementia, their family members and care providers.

“I would have been ecstatic to have walked away from my doctor’s office with this information; something that would allow me to be proactive and give me a sense of direction, instead of sitting in my car crying and feeling hopeless,” says Brenda Hounam, who was diagnosed with dementia 10 years ago. “This website is a lifeline. It is a place to get safe, hopeful information.”

The website offers a wide range of information, with topics identified by those living with dementia, including: answers to questions surrounding health care, how to continue living well with dementia, how to ensure they are receiving proper care and support to meet their needs and how to begin the process of planning for the future.

Carrie McAiney, co-investigator and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster, says this resource will be a valuable tool for professional health care providers and community organizations.

“This project will help physicians, pharmacists, Alzheimer Societies and others find ways to integrate the Living With Dementia resource into their everyday practice so it can be shared with those living with dementia and their family members.”