Alzheimer's Awareness Month takes place every January and the most simple step people can take towards greater awareness is to ask and talk to others about their experience or connection to Alzheimer's.

Kathy Fehr is the South Central Regional Coordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.

"We want to get the word out there. We want to let people know that there are people struggling with this. There are caregivers that are also struggling, but at the same time we want people to know that they can still live well for many years once this diagnosis has happened."

Although conversations around this disease can be difficult, it opens the doors to then find support within your family, social circle, and the wider community.

"There are about 23,000 Manitobans that are currently struggling with this disease [or another dementiaa] ... It affects everybody in the family," she adds.

According to an Omnibus Survey Report from March 2018, 56 per cent of Manitobans are impacted by dementia in one way or another.

In a different survey, 56 per cent of people also said they would rather have cancer than be diagnosed with any form of Alzheimer's or dementia.

"The stigma that comes along with it, I think has been there for many years. Our goal is to break that stigma and I think the more education people have the better it is to get rid of that ... When this disease strikes, nobody wants it."

Fehr says it is not easy to talk about something that people fear, but it is so important for everyone to feel supported when they are impacted.

"The number one thing is to get educated. Know what this disease does. There are some trigger words that we probably shouldn't use, we know we shouldn't use it when someone is struggling with this. Get educated and know some of the symptoms. If somebody is wandering, it's not just that they're wandering, it's just they may be at a loss.

She says it's also important to sit down and spend time with caregivers to make sure they are doing well or offer to take over watching a family member for an evening so they can have a little break.

"Even in the early stages of the disease, you can still live a quality of life for many years. That's what we want them to be able to do and to feel like they're a part of the community," says Fehr.