On Sept. 21st Members of Parliament Blaine Calkins and Earl Dreeshen hosted the Conservative Party Deputy Leader and Member of Parliament for Milton, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, in the City of Red Deer. The two MPs, who represent Red Deer, Lacombe and Red Deer Mountain View respectively, were also joined by caregivers, service providers, advocates, families and those living with Alzheimer’s.

“We were very fortunate to have such a great group of individuals here today to talk about living with Alzheimer’s disease; thank you to the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories and to everyone who came today to share their stories with us,” said Calkins.

Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible and destroys brain cells, causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate. It accounts for nearly two-thirds of dementia cases in Canada and there is no cure.

“The more we talk about Alzheimer’s, the quicker we will get past the stigma and get people the support they need,” said MP Raitt. “These past years have opened my eyes to the struggles that Canadian families have when it comes to a diagnosis like this. I am happy to have Bruce here with me to discuss how other Canadians are making this disease their new normal.”

“I am very glad that we were able to host Lisa and her husband in Red Deer today”, said Calkins. “She is an excellent spokesperson and advocate for those families living with Alzheimer’s. Discussions such as these are important. We need to share knowledge and focus on supporting those affected by this fatal disease.”

-Submitted by the office of Blaine Calkins