Receiving a diagnosis of dementia can be an overwhelming experience for many people, but for Constanta Jarvis, 75, of Nanaimo, the prospect of a diagnosis beckoned relief. "If I ever get a diagnosis," she recalls thinking, "I'm going to throw a party."
Like many British Columbians living with dementia, Jarvis waited many years before receiving an official diagnosis of dementia - 10 years, in fact, between the onset of vascular dementia symptoms following a stroke and the time she received her diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. After years of wondering and concern about troubling symptoms, the diagnosis meant Jarvis was finally able to face the disease head-on.
"The diagnosis gave me the opportunity to stop fighting with myself," she said in a press release
While each person's reaction to a diagnosis of dementia will be unique, many people living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia report that the diagnosis was an essential part of recognizing and learning to live with their dementia. A timely diagnosis is also instrumental in helping people impacted by dementia to plan for the future with their family and friends.
As Jarvis explains, the diagnosis also gives the person living with dementia an opportunity to build skills and support systems they will need throughout the dementia journey. For that, she turned to the Alzheimer Society of BC.
"If I go to the store and use a debit machine, the debit machines are always different and I have a terrible time," Jarvis explains. "In grocery stores, I carry two cards. One is by the Alzheimer Society and one is from Scotland, because I was born there. The Society card opens up like a little book and there are tiny little squares inside. One says I have difficulty understanding. Another, I have difficulty with you know. And you just tick them off [to explain your condition to someone]."
The Alzheimer Society of BC card is one of many tools a person with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia can use to communicate and to help educate others about their dementia.
Jarvis also attends Alzheimer Society support groups, where she can share her story with others who understand what she's experiencing.
"It can be a very lonely and a frightening journey," she says. "That's why the support group is so wonderful. We were all different to start with, and how the condition affects our brains is different, and the type of dementia we each have is different, but we all understand each other."
Jarvis has empowered herself through education and a new support system so that she can embrace this new chapter of her life.
"I guess it's just life being life and unfolding the way it needs to, and me being prepared to learn and grow from the process," she says. "I don't recall ever thinking, 'Why me?' I mean, you just look at the world. We're a world full of people, struggling to find ourselves and trying to live with each other. To me this is an amazing journey."
Contact your local Alzheimer Society Resource Centre and find out about services and learning opportunities available in your community. You can also call our toll-free Dementia Helpline at 1-800-936-6033.
