New Alzheimer's, dementia support groups for families of patients

New support groups have started on Newfoundland's west coast for people who have loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Even with support in the home, there [are] so many unknowns with the disease.- Paul Ploughman

Paul Ploughman, Western Health's manager of long-term care, said its extremely helpful for people to discuss common challenges with others.

"Everything from the lack of sleep you can get sometimes to the worrying about their diet and exercise levels — there's lots of stress and challenges on a family member," he said.

"Even with support in the home, there [are] so many unknowns with the disease and I think it takes a lot of education to get a comfort level. You just need support."

The two biweekly meetings service people in the Corner Brook region and the Burgeo-Port aux Basques area.

Western Health staff are also present at the meetings to provide coping strategies and give advice.

"It's a lot easier to talk about it with someone who's going through the same thing," said Ploughman.

"One thing doesn't work for everybody, but that's why we put everybody in the room and try to have people there who can speak on it."

The groups have only had two meetings so far, but Ploughman said they've had good participation and received a lot of positive feedback.