History and Innovation

Necessity Breeds Creation

The Alzheimer Society of York Region was founded in 1985, and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1986. Like so many organizations, the AS York Region was created out of necessity. Our founders were like many of the families we currently serve; they were coping with the disease themselves either as caregivers for a spouse, or a parent or were health care providers.

D.A.Y. Centre Origins

Our first office opened in Newmarket in early 1987 and in June of the same year the Thornhill D.A.Y. Centre opened as a special project of the Alzheimer Society of York Region’s Board. Our program was the first and only specific adult day care program north of Steeles Avenue to service the needs of the cognitively impaired. The D.A.Y. Centre provides structured, individualized day care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders residing in the York Region. We offer respite and relief for those who provide care at home to people diagnosed with the progressive irreversible dementia.

When we opened our doors in 1987 we were funded to assist a maximum of 12 participants daily. Incrementally between 1987 and 1997 we were able expand and increase the number of clients serviced per day. We were also able to increase our operating hours and enhance our transportation services. With the addition of a second van we were able to provide access from the north part of the Region with families travelling from Keswick and Newmarket to the Thornhill site. In July 1997 the Alzheimer Society of York Region opened a second day centre program in Newmarket.

Once the need for Saturday services was substantiated, a pilot project for a “Saturday Club” was initiated in the fall of 1998. We received additional funding in 1999 to enhance and increase the amount of service our day respite programs provided by expanding our hours on Monday to Saturday from 7 am to 6 pm and increasing our numbers to service 20 to 24 clients per day. The Alzheimer Society of York Region remained the sole provider of dementia specific day program services in the Region of York until 1999.

The Growth of Our Social Work Program

In 1988 the Outreach Program (a public are awareness/education program) and the Wandering Person Registry (in conjunction with York Regional Police) were started. Over time the Outreach Program shifted into a front line social work program providing counselling and ongoing support to caregivers. The social workers also facilitate caregiver support groups throughout the Region. Early stage support groups for individuals diagnosed with dementia have also been facilitated by our social workers

By 2002 our social work program had expanded to a team of 5 social workers providing service in the Region. With internal restructuring which focused on direct service and with additional funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care we have been able to increase the social work program to 7 full time social workers. The Alzheimer Society of York Region now has Italian and Chinese language specific social work positions. Each year the social work program provides service to approximately 900 families coping with Alzheimer ‘s disease and related disorders.

New Partnerships That Increase and Enhance Service

In 1998 the Alzheimer Society of York Region formed partnerships with the Regional Municipality of York and York Central Hospital to provide caregiver support to their cognitively impaired specific day programs (Maple Health Centre, Keswick Gardens, York Central Hospital). The social work program and educational support are integral aspects of these successful 10-year working partnerships. All clients are assessed by Alzheimer Society social workers prior to admission to the respective day programs and the family receives ongoing support and education. The caregiver will also continue to receive support after their family member has left the day program service. Our caregivers report that this care throughout the continuum of the disease has been very beneficial.

In 2004, through the support of the United Way of York Region, the AS York Region established a satellite office in Keswick that addresses the needs of people living in Georgina. As a result, the number of clients served from Georgina has increased by approximately 50% since the year the satellite office opened.

We have continued to seek out new partnerships and with the Aging At Home Year 2 initiatives in 2009 and we are hoping to see these partnerships bring increased service to the families of York Region. We currently have a social worker available weekly at Parkview Village in Stouffville. In addition to support groups with our Regional partners in Keswick (affiliated with Keswick Gardens) and Maple Health Centre we run support groups at Woodhaven Long Term Care in Markham, and Parkview Home in Stouffville. We have been an active partner in the Central LHIN’s Doorways to Care initiative. We also have worked closely with York Region Police in setting up their Project Lifesaver program.

Public Education

The Ontario Alzheimer Strategy of 1999 provided our agency with a Public Education Coordinator. This position aids in further increasing public awareness about the disease and services available to assist in caring for a person with dementia. The Public Education Coordinator also provides leadership in organizing education events within the Region. Over the past 22 years the Alzheimer Society of York Region has hosted a broad range of educational events. In addition to family education series that are offered throughout the Region we have hosted speaking engagements by leading medical professionals about the disease, hosted full day symposiums and have provided family caregivers and persons diagnosed with the disease with the opportunity to tell their story. Our Public Education Coordinator has been reaching out to the diverse community in our Region. He is very busy in the late summer and fall with the local agricultural events and increasingly active speaking to the different ethnic senior’s groups and various religious groups within York Region.

Special Events Development

A Fund Development and Volunteer Manager and a part time support person were hired in 2003 through a 3 year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to increase the fund raising effort of the Society and further promote awareness. In 2007 with the end of the Trillium grant funds the Board decided to hire an Event Coordinator.

Events such as our annual golf tournament, September Coffee Break campaign and our annual Walk for Memories events in January help raise awareness about the agency and the disease. It helps us to raise funds for research and services in York Region. Each year families, friends, and supporters have helped us to raise awareness and funds at these events.

Listening to our community has led us to reach out in different ways. The predominately Italian community of Woodbridge suggested that we would reach more people if we had a Gala dinner and dance event. In the Fall of 2008, a very successful first Gala event was held and we hope it will become a more regular event. The Chinese community on Markham has come forward with a unique event and in 2009 we were very pleased to participate in the third annual karaoke Sing for Memories event. Our Events Coordinator also assists with coordination of other third party events such as Yogathons, golf tournaments, marathons and other community activities. The Alzheimer Society of York Region is continuing to reach out to service the evolving needs of our community and raise awareness and funds in distinctive ways.

Social Work Innovation

In 2008, the Alzheimer Society of York Region produced a DVD to highlight and showcase a new caregiver intervention model focusing on the impact of grief on the caregiver. This unique intervention Model was developed by Ms. Eleanor Silverberg, MSW, RSW, a front line social worker at the Alzheimer Society of York Region, from a compilation of family members’ accounts of their caregiving experience, observations in practice, a literature review combining the grief and caregiving paradigms and peer review. This DVD presentation, recorded on November 5, 2008 at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care as part of its social work education series, draws from Ms. Silverberg’s article published in the Omega Journal of Death and Dying, Vol. 54, “Introducing the 3-A Grief Intervention Model for Dementia Caregivers: Acknowledge, Assess and Assist.” The components of the 3-A Grief Intervention Model are presented, offering a professional tool to assist staff, professional colleagues and family caregivers in grief management.

The response from peers to the new grief management model has been enthusiastic. Connie Kuipers, the Education Manager of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario writes: “I think this concise model can have a big impact…In all, I think this will be a very valuable thinking tool for Alzheimer Societies and far beyond…It is clearly an innovation and you are definitely providing leadership in this area!”

The Future Imperative

The challenge for the Alzheimer Society of York Region as we move forward from 2009 remains to utilize our abilities to better position ourselves to address the extraordinarily escalating growth of Alzheimer disease and related disorders anticipated in our Region over the next ten years. We hope to do this by:

Broadening our services and role across our Region
Continuing to offer our services to a broader range of ethno-specific organizations
Export our existing social work partnership model with other service providers
Enhance and increase day centre programming with our existing partners
Continue to take an “outward” thinking focus, by forming alliances with other community service organizations
And to build the necessary staff and organizational capacity to meet these challenges.

In essence, the Alzheimer Society of York Region will continue to provide HELP FOR TODAY by providing care and support for individuals and families living with the disease, and HOPE FOR TOMORROW by advocating and fundraising for a cure

News & Events

Caldwell Securities Ltd./Alzheimer Society of York Region Golf Classic

Driving Miss Mary: former client gives back

10 by 20: Ontario action plan for dementia

AS York Offers Educational DVDs for Family & Professional Caregivers

For every person affected by Alzheimer’s disease, 10 to 12 others are directly impacted. These include caregivers such as family members, friends and neighbours; employers and healthcare workers.

One in every 11 Canadians over the age of 65 and 1 in every 3 over the age of 85 are living with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.

Currently, Alzheimer’s disease costs Ontario taxpayers $7 billion a year. Unless changes are made to funding research and developing community services and programs, Alzheimer’s disease will overwhelm Ontario’s health care system.

Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada.

Within the past 10 years the Alzheimer Society of York Region has contributed more than $625,000 towards research into finding a cause and cure for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading form of progressive dementia, as approximately 65% of all people with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease.

Right now, Alzheimer’s affects more than 160,000 Ontarians over the age of 65. By the end of 2009, this number will increase to 184,416. Aging baby boomers and longer life expectancy rates will help fuel the Alzheimer’s crisis.