I need your help to get these questions out to the candidates before the debate on Sept. 27th, 2011

My name is Cindy ODonnell and I have some concerns as a child of aging parents who have dementia.  Before I make my decision on who to vote for in this election I would like to know your thoughts to the following questions.

As we all know healthy eating and active living promotes good brain activity.  Education is key, and I would like to see a campaign to increase public awareness and education about dementia.  Are you prepared to invest in a public awareness campaign? 

Crises and hospitalizations occur because people seek help too late in the disease process.  Early diagnosis and intervention help people with dementia and their families to benefit from drug treatment, education and life planning so they can manage the disease and have a better quality of life.  Having support services in place such as the Alzheimer Society first link program have helped Canadian families like myself.  These existing programs can be expanded across the province.  What are your thoughts on this option?

Providing care causes stress, which often leads to depression and burnout.  And caregiver distress is five times greater when caring for a person with dementia, than a person with other conditions.  As a caregiver I have had to put my career on hold many times to help look after aging parents.  The stress this causes not only on myself also affects my family especially my children.  Seeking help for respite care is sometimes a difficult process.  Have your constituents told you of any challenges they have experienced when trying to access services?

People living with dementia and other people with accessibility challenges can remain more independent, enjoy an improved quality of life and be less reliant on others when they have flexible housing options and technology to support them.  Government assistance in hosting at least two conferences will encourage the private sector to respond to a growing population of people who could benefit from housing and technology support to remain independent.  What are your thoughts on challenging the private sector to respond to housing and technology nedds to keep people independent?

This is how you can help.  The Ontario election leaders' debate, scheduled for Tuesday September 27th. Dalton McGuinty of the Liberal Party of Ontario, Andrea Horwath of the Ontario New Democrats and Tim Hudak of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario will participate. The debate will be moderated by Steve Paikin, host of TVO's current affairs program The Agenda With Steve Paikin. We are encouraging everyone to send questions, which will increase our chances of hearing what the party leaders plan to do for people with dementia. Please submit your questions for the leaders to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

*Please note that information in this blog has been copied from the Alzheimer Society Ontario