Stratford Gazette

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Jeff Heuchert Staff reporter When Bob visits his wife Eleanor they'll often go sit at the park or go for car ride out in the country. Some days they'll stop at their old farmhouse south of Stratford, where their daughter now lives, and spend an afternoon remembering all of the good times they shared there. "It think it's great therapy for her," says Bob, 80, who asked that his last name not be printed. "She wants that. She wants to remember the things that she still can." Eleanor, 78, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's only three years ago, though she began showing trace signs of the disease as far back as 10 years ago. Alzheimer's can be hereditary, as was the case with Eleanor. Because of her family history, the couple recognized the warning signs immediately. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, a syndrome caused by a number of disorders that impair memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. Bob says his wife at first became withdrawn, the polar opposite of the outgoing, strong-willed women who stayed home to raise their four children while he worked "“ often travelling "“ in the grain industry, and later in mediation. "We saw (the symptoms) before it was evident to her circle of friends and acquaintances," he adds. Over time Eleanor started to become forgetful, unable to remember things like the names of her grandchildren. Around the time she was diagnosed, she began to wander. The first time she left their apartment in Stratford, where Bob still resides, to go get her hair cut. She was found sitting on a couch inside the home next door to the hairdressers six hours later. The second time occurred in Toronto while the couple was visiting their son. She had gone outside to see a house being built across the street. She was found five miles away. "I had to keep her at arm's length for those years," Bob says. Soon after, worried what might happen to her if he was not around, Bob had his wife moved into a private room at Spruce Lodge at a yearly cost of about $30,000. It leaves Bob just enough to maintain his apartment. "I'm managing nicely as a bachelor," he adds, with a quiet laugh. "I'm not happy about it, of course, but you do what you've got to do." Diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are on the rise, leading research and support agencies to call on all levels of government for a new strategy to help meet the ever-increasing demands on the health care system. A report released in late September by Alzheimer's Disease International paints an alarming picture of the ballooning personal, economic and social costs associated with the illnesses. Among the report's recommendations are for governments to make Alzheimer's a top priority and create a national plan, increase funding and develop policies and plans for long-term care. According to the World Alzheimer Report 2010, the worldwide costs of dementia will hit over $600 billion in 2010, and go only up from there. Approximately 35.6 million people are affected by the disease, states the report, and that number is expected to double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050.

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