Community changes everything when it comes to the experience of people affected by dementia.
Individuals, businesses, and organizations have a real and important role to play in making our communities more dementia friendly. By learning about dementia and taking action to be more dementia friendly, individuals, organizations and businesses can make a big impact for people affected by dementia in their communities. That’s why the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is proud to be a partner in the national Dementia-Friendly Canada project as it makes new resources available for organizations and communities.
Through Dementia-Friendly Canada, a new online learning course about dementia friendly communities has been developed to ensure that organizations and communities have access to the information that can help them support individuals affected by dementia.
The new course includes four modules which share information about dementia, dementia friendly physical environments, communication strategies and interactions, as well as examples of dementia friendly practices, policies, and services in action.
By sharing important information about dementia in the context of recreation & library, retail & restaurant, and public transportation settings, the modules can help individuals, businesses, and organizations to learn more and to incorporate dementia friendly considerations into their environments and interactions.
You can contribute to provincial dementia friendly efforts by learning more using the new ‘Building Dementia-Friendly Communities’ online course.
As we release these important new resources, we are inviting Saskatchewan-based individuals, businesses, and organizations to get involved by accessing the course and sharing their important insights on our short survey.
Be among the first in Saskatchewan to complete the newly available, online course to learn more about dementia friendly communities here.
Then, share your insights about the new resources with the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan on our short survey.
The survey is estimated to take 10 minutes to complete and will help us to learn more about the local responses to these new, online learning resources.
We have also created an 8-minute video demonstrating how you can access the course, create your account, download your certificate of completion, and share feedback about your learning experience with the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.
Why is learning about dementia so important?
- There are over 20,000 individuals living with dementia in Saskatchewan today; 60% of whom live in the community in their own homes.
- Dementia is about more than memory; it can cause changes in abilities, behaviour, and communication.
- Stigma is a barrier that too many people affected by dementia face. 1 in 5 Canadians report they would avoid seeking help for as long as possible if they suspected they had dementia, because of factors like stigma.
Elevating Provincial Perspectives for National-Level Success
The Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is contributing to the national Dementia-Friendly Canada project. In 2019, the Alzheimer Society of Canada received support from the Public Health Agency of Canada to embark on this four-year project which would build on the success of provincial dementia friendly initiatives to extend impact at the national level.
This project is led by the Alzheimer Society of BC, with provincial partners in Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. The goal of the Dementia-Friendly Canada project is for people living with dementia to feel valued and empowered in their communities, as organizations and businesses learn more about dementia and use this knowledge to become more dementia friendly in their everyday interactions.
Learn more about this project by visiting:
https://alzheimer.ca/en/take-action/become-dementia-friendly/dementia-friendly-canada
Dementia-Friendly Canada has been funded by the Government of Canada, administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
