Wighton will speak at the living well with dementia public lecture and exhibition taking place Monday at the University of Waterloo.
WATERLOO, Ont. (Friday, Jan. 18, 2013)— If you think dementia only afflicts the elderly, just ask Mary Beth Wighton. At the age of 45, Wighton was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe dementia, a rare form of dementia with no treatment or cure.
“Being so young with a diagnosis of dementia baffled people,” said Wighthon.
Wighton will speak at the living well with dementia public lecture and exhibition taking place Monday at the University of Waterloo. Held in recognition of Alzheimer Awareness Month, the lecture and exhibition is set to challenge common myths and stereotypes about dementia. The Murray Alzheimer Research Education Program (MAREP), a research centre at Waterloo’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, is hosting the event.
After her diagnosis, Wighton found support at MAREP. MAREP works directly with those living with dementia and their care partners to help them develop practical resources and tools to enhance quality of life.
“We have learned so much from our partners with dementia about how to better support persons and families experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias,” said Professor Sherry Dupuis, director of MAREP. “And through their involvement in our projects, they gain a sense of purpose, meaning and empowerment in a world that still excludes persons with dementia because of the stigma and misunderstanding that continues to exist.”
Two other speakers will join Wighton at the lecture: Dr. Peter J. Whitehouse, from the Department of Neurology at Case Western Reserve University and author of The Myth of Alzheimer’s: What You Aren’t Being Told About Today’s Most Dreaded Diagnosis, and Anne Marie Wilson, a partner in care and spokesperson for those living with dementia.
The lecture and exhibition will take place from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre in rooms DC 1302 (lecture) and DC 1301 (exhibition). To register for the event call 519.888.4567 ext. 36880 or email Jessica Luh Kim at jluh@uwaterloo.ca.
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 35,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca.
The Kenneth G. Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) is a major division of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute of Aging. Based in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, MAREP is an innovative program that adopts an authentic partnership approach and integrates research and educational activities in an effort to improve dementia care practices in Canada and beyond. Its goal is to enhance the ability of all involved in dementia care, including persons with dementia, their family partners in care, and professional care partners, to respond to the needs of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and ultimately improve the quality of life of all those experiencing dementia. For more information about MAREP, visit www.marep.uwaterloo.ca.
-30-
Media Contacts:
Christine Bezruki
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
University of Waterloo
519.888.4567, ext. 33994
Pamela Smyth
Media Relations Officer
Communications and Public Affairs
University of Waterloo
519.888.4777
WATERLOO, Ont. (Friday, Jan. 18, 2013)— If you think dementia only afflicts the elderly, just ask Mary Beth Wighton. At the age of 45, Wighton was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe dementia, a rare form of dementia with no treatment or cure.
“Being so young with a diagnosis of dementia baffled people,” said Wighthon.
Wighton will speak at the living well with dementia public lecture and exhibition taking place Monday at the University of Waterloo. Held in recognition of Alzheimer Awareness Month, the lecture and exhibition is set to challenge common myths and stereotypes about dementia. The Murray Alzheimer Research Education Program (MAREP), a research centre at Waterloo’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, is hosting the event.
After her diagnosis, Wighton found support at MAREP. MAREP works directly with those living with dementia and their care partners to help them develop practical resources and tools to enhance quality of life.
“We have learned so much from our partners with dementia about how to better support persons and families experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias,” said Professor Sherry Dupuis, director of MAREP. “And through their involvement in our projects, they gain a sense of purpose, meaning and empowerment in a world that still excludes persons with dementia because of the stigma and misunderstanding that continues to exist.”
Two other speakers will join Wighton at the lecture: Dr. Peter J. Whitehouse, from the Department of Neurology at Case Western Reserve University and author of The Myth of Alzheimer’s: What You Aren’t Being Told About Today’s Most Dreaded Diagnosis, and Anne Marie Wilson, a partner in care and spokesperson for those living with dementia.
The lecture and exhibition will take place from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre in rooms DC 1302 (lecture) and DC 1301 (exhibition). To register for the event call 519.888.4567 ext. 36880 or email Jessica Luh Kim at jluh@uwaterloo.ca.
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 35,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca.
The Kenneth G. Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) is a major division of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute of Aging. Based in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, MAREP is an innovative program that adopts an authentic partnership approach and integrates research and educational activities in an effort to improve dementia care practices in Canada and beyond. Its goal is to enhance the ability of all involved in dementia care, including persons with dementia, their family partners in care, and professional care partners, to respond to the needs of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and ultimately improve the quality of life of all those experiencing dementia. For more information about MAREP, visit www.marep.uwaterloo.ca.
-30-
Media Contacts:
Christine Bezruki
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
University of Waterloo
519.888.4567, ext. 33994
Pamela Smyth
Media Relations Officer
Communications and Public Affairs
University of Waterloo
519.888.4777
