10 Friday, May 5, 2017 brooklintowncrier.com Blue Umbrellas "I don't remember who this man is. He is calling me mom. There is something on the TV. Some sport. They are playing a song I know. It starts with Oh Canada. I can sing along…" This would be what I can only imagine my mother-in-law was thinking a few years ago when she came to visit. You see, by then in her stage of Alzheimer's, she wasn't very verbal. I believe she knew she knew us, but I don't think she knew who we were. Yet she could still sing "Oh Canada." It was bitter sweet. She's always been a huge Blue Jays fan. This is a very private thing to expose in our family. And not because we are ashamed or embarrassed but because it is painful and there is often a stigma associated with forms of dementia. Mary is now well looked after in Fairview Lodge, however, at that point she was home with my father-in-law. Anyone who's had a loved one experience this disease can understand how difficult it is to care for someone who may be physically strong but often mentally absent. I can't fathom the patient's experience. New program The Blue Umbrella Program offered by the Durham Region Alzheimer's Society is a new initiative aimed at helping people continue their day-to-day activities in the community while living with the brain disorder known as dementia. The Blue Umbrella itself signifies dementia and the umbrella's points represent the types of dementia: Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, fronto-temporal dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Lewy body dementia. Over 560,000 Canadians are living with it. By 2031, that number is expected to be around 937,000. It is estimated we will be spending over $16.5 billion dollars in combined health care systems on dementia. Last Monday at Council, we received a presentation about the program. How to interact We learned how to interact with residents who may have forms of dementia. Ironically, the best advice in how to help is to do some things that as a society we should be cognizant of anyways: slow down, speak clearly, use simple words, smile, be patient, try to connect. These are some of the techniques the society's volunteers will review with local businesses in their Blue Umbrella certification. Once all employees are trained and the business is certified, they will wear Blue Umbrella pins and have window decals. A resident will be aware there is help for them available. And they also have a choice to wear a pin to identify them. Council donated $25,000 to the program and we are happy to see it rolling out to local businesses. There will soon be group training sessions in Brooklin for anyone interested in obtaining the certification. Or you can contact the society directly to have a volunteer come meet with you for your certification. It's free and takes just a couple of hours to be deemed dementia friendly. There are warning signs that you or someone you know may have developed a form of dementia. It crossed my own mind the other day when I was putting milk in the cupboard. I think we can all relate to many of these symptoms: memory loss affecting the performance of daily tasks, problems with language, disorientation in time and space, impaired judgement, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, and changes in mood or behaviour. Fact 1: Dementia is not a normal part of aging, but age is the biggest risk factor. Fact 2: We are an aging community. Council endorsed Combine these and it only stands to reason we need to address dementia in our community. I'm very happy our council has endorsed this program and I hope the message is clear: we all need to be leaders in building the kind of community we want to live in. Brooklin specifically is loved for its small town charm. This program is one that will have us demonstrate how welcome we are. By 2022, less than five years from now, our population will hit 68,000. We can still be a wonderful place to live... if we all learn to slow down, listen, smile, and be patient. Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby mulcahyr@whitby.ca BTC's First Annual Essay Contest Grand prize $150 courtesy of BAM Lions Club! Other prizes include gift certificates: $50 + free writers breakfast from Writers' Community of Durham Region (WCDR) $30 - Copper Branch $25 - Michael Kellys Eatery $25 - Coffee Culture (Brooklin) $25 - Brooklin Pub Free 30 min. guitar or drum lesson with Patrick Pidek (patricksguitarstudio. com) 1 Free Family Pass to 2017 Brooklin Spring Fair Essay Theme - in honour of Canada's 150th birthday: "Canada is…" Contest Rules: Must be a resident of Brooklin (or student whose home address is in Brooklin). Deadline: Midnight, May 29, 2017 Non-fiction essay (no poetry) of under 800 words on the theme "Canada is..." Minimum age of writer is 16 years old as of May 29, 2017 BTC columnists and their families are ineligible. Essay must be previously unpublished non-fiction (school or post-secondary institution papers will be accepted). Essays with any plagiarized material will be rejected. Please be sure to attributes quotes where necessary and to check facts. Writer must provide a title. The theme is NOT necessarily the title. No gratuitous violence, sex, racist or similarly hate-inducing commentary In English only Maximum of two submissions per writer More positive consideration will be given to essays with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. The decision of the judging panel will be final How to submit: Essay is to be in the body of an email to: editorofbtc@gmail.com with the subject line: essay contest submission No attachments, please. They will not be opened At the beginning of the email, provide: Writer's name + Brooklin address + phone number + short bio of under 100 words (Submissions without these will be rejected) Pseudonyms are not allowed. If submitting two essays, one should follow the other in the same email Winners agree to allow their names and photos to be used in the BTC After publication in the BTC, writer retains full copyright and ownership. Only winners will be contacted by early June Winners to be published in summer issues beginning June 9. Brooklin ward councillor Rhonda Mulcahy presents a welcome mat to Dr. Arun Rajasekaran on the opening of the new Durham Orthodontic Clinic in downtown Brooklin.