Helping victims of Alzheimer’s
In 2011, there were more than 700,000 Canadians living with Alzheimer’s or related dementias. That number has doubtlessly grown since, as it’s expected to for decades. Based on current trends, the aging of Canada’s baby boom population will result in the total number of Canadians afflicted by this horrific condition reaching 1.4 million within 15 years.
Alzheimer’s does more than just impact the memories of its victims. It strips away their ability to properly care for themselves. In advanced cases, even simple tasks such as bathing and eating become impossible. Many Canadian families, unable to place their loved ones in a publicly supported care facility, or to afford the steep price of a private one, are forced to take on the heavy burden of providing around- the- clock, hands- on care. But even those comparatively l ucky families who are able to place their loved one into a care facility must face a different fear: that their relative will become a victim, or perpetrator, of violence.
A complication of Alzheimer’s and dementia, not often appreciated by those who haven’t seen it up close, is that the damage done to the brain can alter personalities, as well as destroy memories. Previously peaceful, affable souls can become bitter, angry and impulsive. Combined with the confusion that accompanies compromised memories, this emotional instability can prove explosive ( a member of this paper’s editorial board, for instance, watched a kindly, gentle older relative become violent when t old by his family, whom he no longer recognized, that he could not leave his home “to go to work.”)
In long- term care facilities, these outbursts can have fatal results. As found by a recent Postmedia investigation, in the province of Ontario, over the last two years, at least 12 patients in care facilities have died after violent encounters with other patients. The assailants, if such a term can even apply here, are victims, too, and often have no memory of the incident hours or minutes after it occurred. The situation is appalling and has led to calls for action from the Ontario Provincial Police, the provincial coroner and groups and individuals speaking on behalf of families and the care facilities and their employees. Something has to be done.
And something can be done. Ontario has already rolled out an effective partial remedy to this growing problem. While such violent encounters cannot ever be eliminated, the use of “behavioural support teams” has already been proven effective at reducing emotional outbursts and violent incidents. Through direct supervision of patients and carefully regimented schedules and shared areas, opportunities f or confusion and clashes can be reduced. Facilities that host such teams have also seen dramatic reductions in the amount of anti- psychotic medications being used by patients. A care team makes such drugs, in many cases, unnecessary.
The problem, however, is one of funding and availability. There are only six — six — such teams permanently placed in care facilities in Ontario, a province that is home to more than 600 long- term f acilities. The Ontario government has been asked to provide $60 million over three years to train and deploy more teams. It has thus far been noncommittal.
Money’s tight in Canada’s most populous province. Ontario, sadly, is not in a position to splurge. But $ 20 million a year, to provide direct and immediate support to some of our most vulnerable residents, is not an unreasonable ask — especially considering t he enormous sums t he governing Liberals have wasted on far less deserving priorities ( including, bluntly, their own partisan success). While all Canadians should hope for a cure, until that happy day comes, our health- care facilities must be properly equipped to tackle this tragic but growing problem. A government that blows billions to not build gas plants, while starving long- term care facilities of desperately needed, and comparatively modest, sums of money, will not be kindly judged by history … or, in due course, the voters.