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By Vienna Dillon
For Mental Health Awareness month, I chose to research Alzheimer’s Disease. I've chosen to write about this issue because memory loss is frightening but with the proper education we can overcome the negative and look towards the future with hope that today's research and recognition will help bring an end to brain disease. As an overview, Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that affects people aged 45 to 80 and over. Neurons in the brain degenerate due to amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which appear over time in the aging brain but become abnormal and affect neuronal connections. The disease affects the whole brain and diminishes memory and bodily capacities in the later stages of the disease in diagnosed individuals. |
I chose this topic for my research because Alzheimer's disease is visible in the population today in Canada, with around 14.3 new cases per 1000 seniors according to Public Health Canada. Another reason for doing more research is directly correlated to my personal fear of forgetting who I am, and everyone around me. As a visual artist, how does this disease affect my mental health and my artistic abilities? My questions didn't have an official answer and I wanted to understand more about how this disease effects mental health and how I could help those diagnosed.
I created an accessible website in French for anyone interested in learning more in-depth about Alzheimer’s disease and how it effects the brain, mental health and memory. The website also has several resources available with studies and organizations leading upcoming Dementia research. |