How a Winnipeg trail-walking program helps people with dementia and their partners find joy in the moment

There's laughter over a chorus of bird songs and frog ribbits, as a group of seniors wearing sun hats walks up the trail at Fort Whyte Alive.

They're part of the latest edition of Tales Along the Trail, a program created through apartnership between the Alzheimer's Society of Manitoba and the south Winnipeg outdoor educational centre, which are working together tobuild a dementia-friendly community.

"It's probably one of my favourite programs that we do," participant Eleanor McMillansaid. "Just love it."

McMillan found the program after her husband was diagnosed with dementia.

"When he got his initial diagnosis, I thought, fine, I'll get help to come in and, you know, we'll do things. But he's progressed fairly roughly, and it's hard," McMillansaid.

WATCH | Manitobans with dementia and their partners enjoy dementia-friendly community at Fort Whyte Alive:

Manitobans with dementia find joy in nature walks

4 months ago

Duration 2:08

The Tales Along the Trail program brings together people living with dementia, along with their care partners, for educational nature walks at Fort Whyte Alive in Winnipeg.

After joining Tales Along the Trail, McMillan found a community among others whose partners have dementia.

"You get to share what you're going through with other people. You realize you're not alone," she said.

In Tales Along the Trail,the group socializes while taking in a lecture on Manitoba's wildlife.

Each week is something new, from learning about yellow-bellied sapsuckers to how to identify wild licorice.

Retired teacher Maureen Monson enjoys Tales Along the Trail outings with her husband, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

"For many people here today who have Alzheimer's, they truly live in the moment, and they find joy being here," she said.

Nicole McDonald, the Alzheimer's Society managing director for dementia-friendly communities, including the Fort Whyte program,said simple, cost-free changes can make spaces more accessible and inclusive for both people living with dementia and their care partners.

Nearly 20,000 Manitobans live with dementia, McDonald said. In the next 25 years, the number of Canadians living with dementia is expected to nearly double, the Alzheimer Societysays.

McDonald says there are many different types of dementia, and each person experiences it differently.

Dementia can include a range of symptoms, including effects on memory, language and concentration. Changes in mood, perception and behaviour can also be a facet of dementia, andit can progress at differing rates.

McDonald says accommodations don't need to be complicated.

"We're not talking about moving mountains," she said.

For instance, some people may forget the meaning of commonplace symbols like stick figures on washroom signs. Handwritten signs at eye level can solve that problem, McDonald said.

Public awareness and patience also improve day-to-day life for people with dementia, she said.

"There's a misconception that once you get a dementia diagnosis, you're living in a personal care home or long term care facility. That's simply not the case," McDonald said.

Nearly two-thirds of people diagnosed with dementia still live in the community, outside long-term care or care homes, following routines they had before their diagnosis.

"If I have a dementia diagnosis, I still have a long quality of life ahead of me. Public awareness and the simple accommodations are important," McDonald said.

Jeff Buhse, a program facilitator at Fort Whyte Alive, called the partnershipwith the Alzheimer's society fabulous.

Care partners are not often considered when creating programs for people living with dementia, he said.

The program at Fort Whyte isn'tnecessarily a therapy session or a vent session, he said it's simply a chance to enjoy a nice walk.

"It's a really good way to get a broader demographic onto the trails and enjoy our space. It's really good for morale, for our staff and volunteers, because it is so fun, but also heartwarming," Buhse said.

"We're doing a good service for people who are often kind of forgotten."