That's how many people in New Brunswick will be diagnosed with dementia.
The Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick launching the 2013 Awareness Campaign this week titled, "See Me, Not My Disease. Let's Talk About Dementia."
Saint John Regional Coordinator Jamie Matthews tells Tide News what their goal is this year. He says, "We want to address the mis-information that's out there about Alzheimers and Dementia and to shift those attitudes to make it easier and for people who are diagnosed to talk about it openly and honestly."
He says, "It's something that we still need to learn a lot about, despite the reach of this disease and how many are affected, especially in New Brunswick."
Matthews tells us there are 13,000 people in New Brunswick diagnosed with Dementia. This year alone, 2500 will be diagnosed in the province, which works out to 7 people per day.
Matthews says one of the big things you can do to help someone with demetia is by talking with them about the disease. He says this will keep them from feeling shame or isolation which is very common for those diagnosed.
Matthews says they will be having information sessions coming up in March titled "Alzheimer Journey: First Steps."
If you would like to contact the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick, you can call them at 1-800-664-8411, or the Saint John branch at 1-506-634-8722. You can also check out their website at www.alzheimernb.ca , or they have a Facebook Page "Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick".
