“If you are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, we’ll see it through together,” said Édith Fournier to her husband, fully aware of the impact this declaration would make in her life and to their relationship. Her voyage of love and courage, and her determination to fight the isolation and despair frequently experienced by Alzheimer’s patients and their families, is the topic of this year’s Douglas’ final Frames of Mind series documentary, Édith et Michel. Fournier will attend the screening and discuss her role as caregiver and spouse. Céline Brunelle, a clinical nurse at the Douglas’ Moe Levin Unit and Memory Clinic and Serge Gauthier, MD, director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Unit at the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, will co-host the evening.

“There are many stages in accepting a debilitating illness such as Alzheimer’s,” says Brunelle. “This documentary highlights these stages with compassion, showing the struggles and successes of day-to-day living with this heartbreaking disease. Its realism will touch many people and reach out to those who are experiencing similar situations, letting them know they are not alone.”

Alzheimer’s disease is the most frequent type of dementia in the elderly, affecting more than 400 000 Canadians aged 65 or over. It is characterized by the death of brain cells, a process that continues as the disease becomes more severe. The illness can lead to the loss of certain functions or abilities, including memory, reasoning, language, judgment, and mood.

“With a significant portion of our senior population being affected, understanding this disease has never been more important,” says Gauthier. “At the Douglas, we are actively studying the effects of many contributing risk factors—including age, genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors—in relation to brain development and brain injury. Huge strides have been made in the last decade, improving our understanding of the disease process, and we anticipate breakthroughs in the near future. Our goal is to better understand and treat the disease, so that fewer people will be affected.”

Gauthier is credited with setting up the first multicentre Canadian study using tacrine for the treatment of Alzheimer Disease, and for creating the Consortium of Canadian Centres for Clinical Cognitive Research (C5R). In addition to authoring a wealth of research articles, reviews, and book chapters, Serge Gauthier has edited an internationally-acclaimed textbook titled Clinical Diagnosis and Management of Alzheimer’s Disease.

WHAT: Frames of Mind: screening of Édith et Michel, co-hosted by Céline Brunelle and Serge Gauthier, MD. Édith Fournier will attend as a special guest.
WHERE: Douglas Hall, Douglas Hospital, 6875 LaSalle Blvd.,Verdun
WHEN: May 30, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

Free admission
Parking: $3