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•Th e IF P• H al to n H ill s • Th ur sd ay , J an ua ry 3 0, 2 01 4 6 OPINION January is Alzheimer Awareness Month, a time to draw attention to dementia, those who suffer from it and the loved ones who care for them. Last month, health ministers from G8 countries held the first-ever Summit on De- mentia in London, England. Among 12 dec- larations coming out of the conference was that world governments must start develop- ing plans to "tackle the spiralling human and economic costs of dementia." Recently, Alzheimer Society of Canada CEO Mimi Lowi-Young asked Ottawa to make de- mentia a priority in the 2014 federal budget by committing $3 million toward developing a national plan. Canada's dementia figures are staggering. As of 2011, the society estimated nearly 750,000 Canadians-- roughly one out of every 46 of us-- were living with some form of de- mentia-- an umbrella term used to describe a variety of brain disorders whose symptoms include loss of memory, judgment and rea- soning, as well as changes in mood and be- haviour. In dementia patients, brain function is im- pacted enough to interfere with the ability to work, maintain relationships and perform ev- eryday activities most of us take for granted. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia accounting for almost two- thirds of all cases. It is irreversible and even- tually fatal. Canadian family caregivers spend an esti- mated 444 million unpaid hours a year look- ing after someone with dementia. That commitment represents $11 billion in lost income and the equivalent of 227,760 full-time jobs. For everyone's sake, we hope Canada takes a leadership role in this regard. The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Time for action Letters to the editor Dear editor, Giving out food vouchers due to the ice storm is ridiculous. I'm a little confused. The power went out at our residence, just like most of Georgetown. After a few hours, we took the ice from the freezer, placed it into a bowl and put it in the refrigera- tor. The food from the freezer was put in a plastic bag and put on our balcony. Problem solved. When the ice melted in the fridge, I just went outside to get more. So why food vouchers? It is cost- ing my family money by using my tax dollars to pay for the vouchers and taking the food off my chil- dren's plate to put on others. The people pictured in the ar- ticle are older than me. Shouldn't they have more knowledge? What in the world would these people do before the invention of the refrig- erator? Am I missing something? Jason Pavelich, Georgetown Are you planning on taking a warm weather vacation this winter? No (70%) Yes (30%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Food vouchers a waste of money Ted Brown column missed the mark Can you spare some time for CAShh? Dear editor, Ted Brown's entertaining rant ignored an important justifica- tion for the government's ban on incandescent bulbs -- global warming. They tell us that re- placing all of the estimated 87 million bulbs in Ontario homes would save 6,000,000 megawatt hours annually -- a really im- pressive number, just look at all the zeros. Pav Penna Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anony- mous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publica- tion is not guaranteed. Email: cgamble@theifp.ca Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters policy 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 haltonhillsclassads@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. Dear editor, Cancer Assistance Services of Halton Hills (affectionately known as CAShh) is in need of volunteers for our upcoming April "Give Where You Live" campaign. For this we turn to the residents of Halton Hills to help us reach our goal of canvass- ing every household in Georgetown, Acton and the surrounding Halton Hills area. We understand that not everyone can donate funds to our charity, and when you "Give Where You Live" it doesn't have to be mon- etary....giving of your time is just as important. Each and every one of our CAShh volunteers comes from a differ- ent walk of life. Retirees, doctors, homemakers, teachers, pilots, bank executives, firefighters, police officers, retailers, students, and many other volunteers make up our extended family. Our volunteers are second to none. Please call us at 905-702-8886 to volunteer today. We look forward to you joining our volunteer team. Marilyn Inglis CAShh Campaign Co-ordinator