Hello, Lewy Warriors!

​The summer is coming to a close and we're gearing up for an exciting fall. We hope everyone has had a fantastic summer and that your Labour Day long weekend is full of relaxation and fun before returning to real life. Let's take a look back on August and a look ahead at the coming months together. 

Firstly, we are excited to share that we have formally announced the next Loonie Loops walk! Join us on September 26th in Uptown Waterloo to walk the Uptown Loops for LBD awareness and to promote CLBDI's mission. Last year's walk was so much fun that we knew we wanted to do it again this year. No donations needed. All are welcome to join the walk and we encourage you to connect with other Lewy Warriors, our community, and the CLDBI team. More information, including the walk schedule and our community partners, is coming in the very near future. Keep an eye on our social media for more updates.

We hope that you will consider joining us. Together, we can make a difference.

If you would like to donate and support, visit The LBD Research Fund & Donations page of our website to learn how. Every dollar donated goes directly to Dr. Pasternak and his team's research into LBD at the University of Western Ontario.

We are also in the final stages of planning and putting together our next CLBDI Talks guest(s) and episodes, and we hope to be launching the new season of interviews in September. We're so excited to bring this series back and hope you will tune in on our YouTube channel. You can already watch all nine of our previous episodes here, if you haven't already.

Earlier in August, we released another instalment of our Care Partner Tips series! This time, we shared some thoughts from our Advisory Board member, Joe, on combating isolation and the importance of social connection, which you can read below.

"Humans are social creatures, but when the stress of caring for someone becomes overwhelming, we often retreat from social connections to minimize further stress. Sometimes, we feel like we’re alone in our struggles and have nobody who can relate. In other cases, we may self-isolate to shield others from our vulnerable moments and emotions, or from having to explain the realities of our caregiving situation. Unfortunately, any of these can lead to further isolation and leave you feeling even worse. So, what can you do? It may seem simple, but talk to people.

​One thing that helped Joe during his time as a care partner was having someone he trusted to talk to about everything he was facing and feeling. He also made an effort to stay connected with his friends, family, and community. In his case, he sought professional support to help him work through his feelings and provide guidance when needed.

Today, there are many ways to find support, including professional mental health services, local counselling agencies, social work and dementia related organizations, your care team, and government resources. Many offer flexible payment options, subscriptions, or one-time fees. If professional support is not the right choice for you, perhaps you have a trusted friend or family member who can fill that role. You can also seek out online support groups created specifically for people living with dementia and those caring for them.

At the same time, it is important to maintain your connection to your community and the wider world around you. Making time to talk with friends and family about normal, less stressful things can help you stay grounded and remind you that you are not alone. It reinforces that you have people who care about you and enjoy spending time with you. It gives you a chance to be yourself, have a laugh, and feel connected.

Whatever the case, having someone to talk to, whether about how you feel and what you’re dealing with or simply to chat, can help you maintain your balance as you navigate the daily challenges of being a care partner. After all, no man is an island, as they say.

Don’t neglect your social and emotional needs. Talk to someone. You’ll likely find that you’re not as alone as you think."

Also in August, we shared the news about a new LBD event happening nearby! The "Lewy Body Dementia Symposium: Grounded in Lived Experience" event is happening in Windsor, Ontario, on September 19th. This symposium "brings together people with lived experience, healthcare professionals, community organizations, researchers, and advocates for an afternoon dedicated to learning, collaboration, and meaningful conversation."

Want to learn more and get tickets? Click here.

We also added new books, new links, and more resources to our LBD Resources page. So, if you haven't checked it out lately, make some time to revisit it this month! We're always adding resources that we hope you find helpful as you navigate your Lewy Journey or want to learn more about LBD. Plus, if you think we're missing something, let us know! We love to hear from our community and are more than happy to add something that we've missed.

Later in September and October, we hope to share more information on the next CLBDI Art Show and our plans for the holiday season. For now, we're wishing you a wonderful end of your summer, and all the best in September.

Best,
Joe

Hello, Lewy Warriors!

The summer is flying by and, just like that, August is already upon us! It’s time to take a look back at the past month and look ahead to all the great things we’ve got coming in the near future! Before we start, we hope everyone has had a wonderful summer so far, and we thank you for your continued support.
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Firstly, we are thrilled to share that we have a new donation total from our friends at the University of Western Ontario. I am so pleased to share that we’ve raised $146,677.75 for LBD Research at UWO. Incredible! Because of your donations, Dr. Pasternak has been able to hire more students to aid in his research. We’ll have more from him expanding on exactly how your donations help and the state of their projects in the near future. For now, we just want say thank you to everyone who has supported us. Together, we are making a difference, and we can’t wait to see where we will be at the end of the year. Perhaps, we’ll be able to say that we’ve surpassed our next major donation milestone of $150,000. Amazing!

As always, you can find out more about making a donation and the link to donate online by visiting The LBD Research Fund & Donations page.

July was also a month of meeting and planning with the Advisory Board to prepare for the coming months. We’ve now decided on September for our next “Loonie Loops” event, and we couldn't be more excited. We’re hoping to host two (or more) walks across Ontario to raise awareness and funds for LBD research. We’re currently looking to connect with businesses, people, and organizations who want to help us through promotion, partnership, and collaboration. If you know of anyone who might like to get involved, specifically in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa regions, send us an email at [email protected].

We’re also still accepting submissions for our next art show, which will be happening in October or November of this year. If you’d like to be involved, or know an artist who might want to join the show, please send us an email.

As for August, we’re working on a new episode of “CLBDI Talks”, additional instalments of “CLBDI Reviews” and our “CLBDI Care Partner Tips” series, making new connections and embarking on some exciting collaborations, and a whole lot more. Plus, we'll be giving you updates on “Loonie Loops” including the date, time, location(s), and how you can get involved.

As always, we continue to update our LBD Resources page and share LBD-related articles, links, and updates on our Facebook page. If you haven’t yet followed us, click here to give us a follow. It’s the best and easiest way to stay connected between these blog posts.

We hope everyone has a wonderful August. We’ll see you in September.

Best,
Joe