Page 51 - 08_Oct-2025

Sponsor Feature
Rethinking Dementia
Creating new pathways to wellness
JOE AND SHIRLEY, retired schoolteachers,
like to keep busy. They visit different places
around Edmonton and enjoy going for coffee.
They’re determined to keep booking cruises
until someone tells them to stop.
But Joe’s memory, shaky from old hockey
concussions, has gotten much worse over the
past nine years — sometimes he forgets things
within minutes. Although he hasn’t been
officially diagnosed with dementia, his driver’s
license wasn’t renewed, and they’ve been told to
bolster their support network. His friends don’t
invite him hunting anymore. He loves to go for
walks but lately he’s been getting lost, so Shirley
goes with him.
Dr. Holly Symonds-Brown, photography by Amanda Gallant
And it’s only going to get worse.
Almost 700,000 Canadians are living
with dementia, a number that's projected
to reach one million by 2030. While most
individuals with dementia receive care
from loved ones at home, government
funding historically prioritizes institutional
care for later stages of the disease.
A recently announced initiative aims
to reshape dementia care in Alberta. The
Dementia Pathways Project is a multi-year
initiative with the first two years funded
by the University Hospital Foundation
and supported by a $1 million grant from
the Government of Alberta's Primary
Care Innovation Fund. The project will be
led by University of Alberta researchers
Dr. Adrian Wagg and Dr. Holly Symonds-
Brown with three main goals:
Better care from day one: By creating
clear clinical pathways, the project aims to
ensure people receive faster diagnoses and
more coordinated support.
A provincial dementia registry:
A single, shared database will connect
people with clinical trials, accelerate
research, and facilitate the sharing of
information across the province.
Help finding the right supports: The
project will develop user-friendly tools to
help people with dementia and their care
partners easily find programs, services
and opportunities for social connection.
The McLeod River Primary Care
Network and the Kaye Family Medicine
Clinic in Edmonton will be the first to
pilot the project's integration into the
health-care system.
Dr. Adrian Wagg, photography by Amanda Gallant
“Dementia is a dreaded diagnosis,”
says Dr. Symonds-Brown. “But with a
clear pathway to the right programs, it
doesn’t have to be.”
For Joe and Shirley, it could be just
what they need.
To learn more or to donate, visit
givetouhf.ca/hope. •