One of the biggest gaps we face in addressing healthcare needs for dementia patients is education.

That’s according to the province’s health minister, Dr. John Haggie, who yesterday announced $130,000 in funding for programs at the Alzheimer Society of NL.

According to the minister, at consultation sessions about the disease, people pointed to a lack of awareness of how dementia can manifest itself and a lack of knowledge around how the disease progresses and affects behaviour as some of the big issues.

He says programs like the Dementia Passports program help to address some of those concerns. He explains that they use “technology to overcome geography” so that the lessons can be taught in peoples’ homes.