January is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and Jennifer Harder, the North Central Regional Coordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, caught up with Portage Online to talk about it.

"Our campaign for January Awareness Month this year is 'community changes everything.' It's a campaign that's designed to help families living with dementia. Whether they're experiencing dementia themselves or have someone in their family who has dementia, we want them to know that the Alzheimer's Society is the first link to a community of support. We're just here to help."

She explains the difference between dementia and alzheimer's disease, a question she gets often.

"Dementia isn't in itself a disease, but it's a collection of symptoms and a collection of diseases. while alzheimer's disease is a disease that fits under the umbrella of dementia."

According to Harder, more than 24,000 Manitobans have dementia, and that number is supposed to grow to over 40,000 by 2038.

Warning signs can vary from person to person, but it's never a bad idea to get yourself checked out.

"It's always a good idea to contact your family doctor and to go through the appropriate testing things like that. However, you can contact us directly to ask for some information like warning signs and other things like that."

Harder adds that there are groups available for those handling someone who has Alzheimer's.

"The support groups for care partners are wonderful because people can be mutually supportive of one another and learn from one another and just let each other know that they're not alone in this journey, which is very important."

The Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC) says that more than half a million people in Canada live with dementia, which is expected to reach almost one million within the next ten years.