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here is encouraging ' news in the fight against Alzheimer disâ€" ease as local officials emphasize the importance of early diagnosis during ongoing Alzheimer awareâ€" ness month activities. Two drugs, Aricept and Exelon, are helping Alzheimer patients maintain the level of mental acuity they had when they fitst started the treatment. This means that someone who gets diagnosed early will be able to keep more of the memories that are often stolen by this horrible disâ€" ease of the brain. "It plateaus them at the stage they‘re at," said Tiffany Wurdell, education coordiâ€" nator of the Alzheimer Gains being made in fight against Alzheimer disease h \cick here) j Bâ€"K Motors Authorized BMW Resailer â€" 527 King St. N. Wat Telephone {519} 8855090 _ Eâ€"mail info@bâ€"kmotors.com Looking For a New wwre. bâ€"kmotors.com By Bos VrBANAC Chronicle Staff Society _ of _ Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo. "The earlier the diagnosis, the earlier they get on the drug, the better they are at the stage they stay at. "That‘s why I think the focus â€" of â€" this â€" whole Alzheimer awareness month has been diagnosing it at the early stage, so we have really highâ€"functioning _ people with Alzheimer disease." However, there is still no cure for the disease and no way to reverse the effects. Although there is promising work being done at the genetic level for preventing the disease through a vacâ€" cine. But the new drugs are promising as they help peoâ€" ple reach a plateau with Alzheimer disease, which affects the neurotransmitter that carries messages within the brain. Staff, faculty and students of Wilfrid Laurier University enjoyed a free skating session at the Waterloo Recreation Complex last Saturday. A number of younger skaters, getâ€" ting their feel for flying around the ice, were also in attendance with their parents. Oneâ€"yearâ€"old Jakob Stankowitsch got some help from his dad Mike (pictured left), while fourâ€"yearâ€"old Wesley Arai (pictured above) got back on his feet after every unfortunate fall as he made his way around the Olympicâ€"sized ice. yoe xt anse more: "We might not be looking at a cure, but we‘re looking at more accurate diagnosis, so that people can be diagâ€" nosed and treated earlier," said Wurdell about advances over the next year. "There will be more coping drugs helping people deal with behaviours and things like that." The horror stories of Alzheimer disease and relatâ€" ed dementias are well known. Many people have had a lifetime of memories wiped out, leaving them unable to even recognize those close to them. That can lead them to lash out at the people they love most. Those diagnosed with the disease also have their life span cut by two to 20 years depending on when the patient is diagnosed. PAGE 3 Starting them early There are more than 3,000 individuals in Waterloo Region suffering from â€"Alzheimer disease, with projections that as many as 5,000 people will be suffering with the disease by 2011 when babyâ€"boomers start growing older en Warning signs of Alzheimer disease include: memory loss that effects dayâ€"toâ€"day functioning, difâ€" ficulty performing familiar tasks, problems with lanâ€" guage, disorientation â€" to time and place, poor and decreased judgment, probâ€" lems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, changes in personality and loss of iniâ€" tiative. While people might sufâ€" fer some of these symptoms NORSIWE sed judgment, probâ€" "On the other hand, peoâ€" ith abstract thinking, _ ple that are waiting for longâ€" cing things, changes _ term care facility beds are onality and loss of iniâ€" _ also being cared for at home and need more services, and le people might sufâ€" _ it does mean that we need e of these symptoms _ additional resourcing to meet those demands." Continued on page 4 Coupled _ with _ the 808 VRBANAC PHOTOS A projected $1.7â€"million deficit at the Community Care Access Centre of Waterloo Region could lead to longer waiting lists for home care and a scaling back of other services if the Ministry of Health doesn‘t come through with some muchâ€"needed funding. Community Care Access Centre faces $1.7â€"million shortfall The board of directors of the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) is meeting today to discuss options for the service which coâ€"ordiâ€" nates many of the commuâ€" nity care programs â€" in Waterloo, including home support _ programs _ for seniors waiting to get into longâ€"term care facilities. The service was hit with an unexpected 10â€"perâ€"cent increase in demand for its communityâ€"based proâ€" grams in its current budget year ending this March. That adds an extra 700 people to the more than 6,800 people the service is coordinating care for on any given day this year. "The fact that there‘s been such an increase in demand for services in the community is a positive comment on the restructurâ€" ing that‘s happening," said Kevin Mercer, chief execuâ€" tive officer of the CCAC. "People are getting services at home. By Bos Vasanac Chronicle Staff (cick hace} y Aitzzcâ€"â€"~_~â€"â€"cott B4 Motocs Authorized BMW Retuides â€" 517 King St. N. Wet Telephons (519) 885â€"5090 _ Eâ€"mail info@kâ€"imot Looking For a New province‘s push to shorten hospital stays, and the posiâ€" tive benefits that come from recuperating at home, it means that the CCAC is being hit with an increasing need to provide home care visits by qualified nurses and home support care workers. "That‘s the frustrating part of trying to prepare a budget for a multiâ€"faceted program such as we proâ€" vide," said Mercer. "It‘s very difficult to project what your growth is going to be one year to the next. "Last year we had a caseâ€" load growth of two per cent... and this year our caseload _ increase _ has exceeded 10 per cent. It‘s very difficult to predict what the increase in the caseload will be." There has been correâ€" spondence between the CCAC and Minister of Health Elizabeth Witmer, the MPP for Waterloo, but there is nothing concrete as to whether the ministry will fund the projected deficit. And the local CCAC has no time to wait as it deals with the budget for the last quarter of its 2000â€"2001 fisâ€" cal year. "It‘s very difficult to predict what the increase in the caseload will be." â€"Kevin Mercer CCAC chief executive officer The local CCAC has no Continued on page 5