Republished from the Toronto Star
July 6th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
When he was 64, Mike Kessler retired from his job in the auto industry because he felt like his brain wasn’t working as it should. He kept forgetting things like what day it was and the word he was looking for.
Mike Keller
His wife, Karen, pushed their doctor for a referral to a neurologist. It took a year to see the specialist and another eight months for testing, but finally, in 2021, they had an answer: Mike had vascular dementia and mild Alzheimer’s.
Their family doctor told them that for now, there was nothing more to be done.
“When you get Alzheimer’s, you don’t even get a lollipop. It’s just you’ve got Alzheimer’s. Have a nice rest of your day,” Mike says.
There are 700,000 Canadians living with dementia, and their numbers are rapidly rising. By 2050, it’s projected that 1.1 million Canadians will have Alzheimer’s, dementia’s most common form.
For people with mild Alzheimer’s, the treatment options are often what some clinicians call “therapeutic nihilism” — no medications are offered, because nothing can change the course of disease. A person’s cognition worsens, and they move from mild to moderate to severe disease in time. There are no approved treatments in Canada that can slow this progression, only drugs to quiet symptoms.
That may soon change.
More than 120 drugs are in the pipeline, along with blood tests that will be able to detect Alzheimer’s. But should any be approved, Canada’s health systems do not have the capacity to diagnose, support and deliver these Alzheimer therapies within a reasonable window of time.
Health Canada is currently evaluating two drugs — lecanemab and donanemab — that may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in some patients with mild disease.
These therapies mark the beginning of a new chapter in Alzheimer’s care. More than 120 drugs are in the pipeline, along with blood tests that will be able to diagnose the presence of Alzheimer’s.
But should new treatments be approved, many people will not be able to access them. Canada’s health systems do not have the capacity to diagnose, support and deliver these Alzheimer therapies to eligible patients within a reasonable window of time.
The level of change needed in dementia care will have to be similar to the revolution that happened in cancer over the last 70 years. Decades ago, patients with cancer were sometimes not even told they had the disease. They weren’t urged to get screening. Now, people are encouraged to seek out a diagnosis as early as possible. There are specialized cancer centres, dedicated oncology teams, spiritual and social supports and hundreds of treatment options.
Advocates for people with Alzheimer’s say a similar revolution in dementia care is possible. But the change must start with recognizing that Alzheimer’s is “something other than a death sentence,” says Mike.
Mike was relieved when his doctor told him he had Alzheimer’s. “I have peace of mind now. I now know what’s wrong and I have time to make choices about how I spend my time,” he said. He joined the board of the Alzheimer’s Society close to his home in Amherstburg, Ont., and he sometimes meets other people with Alzheimer’s who treat their diagnosis like their life is ending. Kessler hates that. For him, this stage of Alzheimer’s is difficult, but busy and joyful.
He likens his brain to a cellphone where the battery runs low faster than it should. By midday, his “brain juice” is used up, and he needs a two-hour nap to recharge. Other times, he feels like he’s walked into a room but doesn’t know why.
The complete article is online at the Toronto Star.
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