With an aging workforce and a new federal budget eliminating the mandatory age of retirement, Human Resource departments across the country are facing numerous age-related scenarios when it comes to their employees. According to Statistics Canada the older workforce is growing – as of April 2011, there are 3,284,500 employees in the 55+ year old age group in Canada’s workforce, which is a 6.6 per cent increase over the past year. Age still being the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, early education about brain health can help HR departments be proactive about the impact an aging workforce can have on employees and the organization.

This fall, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. is offering a free and unique education program throughout Metro Vancouver that is aimed at increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and encouraging the practice of good brain health in the workplace.

Society-trained speakers will deliver Brain Health…It’s Your Business! a 50-minute brain health presentation to guide employees through developing their own personal gold, silver and bronze goals for brain health. Participants learn about what they can do to help reduce the risk of developing dementia as well as some of the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, such as how much forgetfulness is too much?

Colleen Todd, from the ICBC Employee Wellness department, notes the workshop “was certainly very popular in that the sessions were fully booked each time. There were lots of questions and interest about how to reduce the risk of developing dementia.” She also felt that increasing the staff’s knowledge about dementia can foster empathy and understanding of the disease, and consequently insight when working with internal and external customers who may be impacted by the disease.

“At this education session I learned that it is not enough to do the same things repetitively. It is important to learn something new. I thought that because I love Sudoku that would keep my mind “young”, actually I need to challenge my brain with different styles of puzzles,” said Tamara Footman, an ICBC employee who participated in a 2010 workshop.

To organize a Brain Health…It’s Your Business! workshop or for more information, please contact Dimpel Sandhu at 604-742-4909 or via e-mail at dsandhu@alzheimerbc.org.