The Heart of Dementia Care: A Social Worker's Perspective

In this bonus episode of Your Complex Brain, we delve into the world of dementia care with Maria Martinez, a dedicated social worker at UHN’s Memory Clinic, part of the Krembil Brain Institute. With nearly 25 years of experience, Maria shares her journey from studying anthropology and sociology to becoming a vital support for patients living with dementia and their families.

Maria highlights the unique challenges faced by those dealing with rare dementias and early-onset cases, emphasizing the importance of personalized support and the significant financial burdens these families often encounter.

Despite the challenges, Maria finds hope and fulfillment in her work, learning continuously from the resilient families she supports. This episode offers a heartfelt glimpse into the daily efforts of a social worker dedicated to making a difference in the lives of those affected by dementia.

Featuring:
Maria Martinez has been a social worker for nearly 25 years. Most recently, she has worked with the team at UHN’s Memory Clinic, helping patients living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and their families, navigate their diagnosis and community support.

Additional resources:
Dr. Carmela Tartaglia’s interview on EP 1 of Your Complex Brain – ‘The Quest to Solve the Concussion Problem’
 Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s and Dementia (video)
UHN Memory Clinic
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA)
Dr. Laura Middleton’s research project - DREAM (Dementia Resources for Eating, Activity, and Meaningful Inclusion
Dr. Laura Middleton’s research project - DICE (Dementia Inclusive Choices for Exercise)

The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.

The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.

Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil

To get in touch, email us at krembil@uhn.ca or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute

Thanks for listening!