Young-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis after job loss sparks call for greater workplace awareness

When high-performing executives begin struggling at work, dementia is rarely the first explanation.

With more Canadians leaving the workforce earlier than expected due to cognitive decline, employers are facing a reality many are unprepared for: high-performing professionals may be navigating undiagnosed dementia symptoms long before a formal diagnosis is made.

That was the case for Andrew Reid.

An entrepreneur, leadership consultant and former health-care executive, Andrew Reid built his career around helping organizations perform better, thriving in high-responsibility environments. At 55, subtle changes began. His eyesight stopped working the way it should. He experienced fatigue and things that once came easily were suddenly challenging. He started staying at work late each day to keep up.

“Nobody at work could make any sense of it – my manager certainly didn’t,” Andrew says. “It was absolutely horrible.”

He was eventually let go, losing both his income and the professional identity he had spent years building.

Initially misdiagnosed with epilepsy, it would be another year before a visit to the UBC Clinic for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia confirmed he was living with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease and a rare form of dementia called posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), often referred to as the visual variant of Alzheimer’s disease.

“It was a win,” Andrew says of finally receiving a diagnosis. “I could start to understand what had been happening to me – and so could my family.”

Andrew and his wife Karina believe their experience highlights something business leaders often overlook: dementia is also a workplace issue, one that demands greater awareness, flexibility and compassion.

On March 12, Andrew and Karina will share their story at the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s Breakfast to Remember, presented by founding sponsor Murrick Group, in Vancouver. The annual fundraiser brings together business and community leaders committed to building a more dementia-friendly province.

Longtime Breakfast supporter Robert Ezer, CEO of Amica Senior Lifestyles, says the event reflects a shared commitment to improving the lives of seniors and advancing understanding of dementia.

“Amica team members are encouraged to own their impact in ways meaningful to them,” says Ezer. “This event fundraises for important programs and services that make a tangible difference in the lives of people affected by dementia.”

Cathryn France, Chief Development Officer of the Alzheimer Society of B.C., says Andrew’s experience is a reminder that dementia is not only a health-care issue but a workforce and economic one.

“Breakfast to Remember offers business leaders insight into how organizations can better support employees through flexible policies, increased awareness and compassionate leadership,” says France.

For Karina, she hopes that by sharing their story at Breakfast to Remember, they will inspire leaders in building a future where the disease is better understood, better supported and, one day, eradicated.

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