Nominations open for the National Dementia-Friendly Communities awards!

A dementia-friendly community is a place where people living with dementia, their families and care partners feel included and supported. Creating these communities takes an effort from everyone – individuals, organizations and groups alike.

The Dementia-Friendly Canada project is excited to announce the National Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards. These awards will recognize the amazing dementia-friendly work that is happening in communities across the country.

We are currently opening nominations for the inaugural awards. If you know of an individual or group who is doing dementia-friendly work and is inspiring others to do the same, we’d love to hear from you!

We have six award categories. Click on each title to learn more about each award or to submit a nomination.

Dementia-Friendly Voice: The Dementia-Friendly Voice award is for a person living with dementia, and who has been an integral part of a project geared to improve the lives of people affected by dementia or has used their voice to raise awareness and advocacy.
Dementia-Friendly Ally: The Dementia-Friendly Ally award is for a person who has been an integral part of a project geared to improving the lives of people affected by dementia or has used their voice to raise awareness and advocacy.
Dementia-Friendly Grassroots Group: The Dementia-Friendly Grassroots Group award recognizes a small group who has improved the lives of people affected by dementia in their community.
Dementia-Friendly Municipality: The Dementia-Friendly Municipality award recognizes a municipality that has committed to improving the lives of people affected by dementia.
Dementia-Friendly Organization (small to medium ): The Dementia-Friendly Organization award is for a small to medium not-for-profit or for-profit organization/business (less than 250 staff) that has implemented a dementia-friendly initiative.
Dementia-Friendly Organization (large): The Dementia-Friendly Organization award is for a large not-for-profit or for-profit organization/business (over 250 staff members) that has implemented a dementia-friendly initiative.

Nominations close at 11:59 p.m. PDT on October 30, 2022.

Frequently asked questions

What is the selection process?

All nominations will be reviewed by the Dementia-Friendly Canada Working Group, which consists of Alzheimer Society staff from across the country. The Working Group will narrow the nominees down to the top four per award category. The top four finalists will then be shared with the Decision-Making Committee, which will include people living with dementia, care partners and experts from across the country. The Decision-Making Committee will then select the winner based on the criteria set forward in each award category. Winners will be announced in January 2023.

Can I nominate myself, my group or organization?

Absolutely! The awards intends to celebrate the amazing work that is being undertaken to grow dementia-friendly communities across the country, and we welcome you to recognize yourself.

Can I nominate multiple individuals, groups or organizations?

Absolutely! If you know of multiple people, groups or organizations who are doing this important work, please feel free to nominate as many as you would like. We’d love to hear their stories!

When do the nominations close?

Nominations close at 11:59 p.m. PDT on October 30, 2022

When will the winners be announced?

Winners will be announced in January 2023. Stay tuned for more information.

How will the nominee’s personal information be shared?

Personal information about each nominee (e.g., name, province, project information, etc.) will be collected as part of the nomination process. This information will be shared with the Dementia-Friendly Canada Working Group and Decision-Making Committee to select the top finalists and winners. Only finalists/winners who consent to participate in the final selection process/awards presentation will have their personal information shared with the public (i.e., on social media).

Who is eligible for the Dementia-Friendly Voice award?

The Dementia-Friendly Voice award is for a person living with dementia, and who has either:

Been an integral part of the creation, development or delivery of a project geared to better the lives of people living with dementia.
Used their voice to raise awareness about the disease and advocate for the people affected.

Criteria:

The work took place in Canada.
The person is living with dementia.
The person has played an active role in the creation, development and/or delivery of a project geared to better the lives of people living with dementia.
This person’s contributions have had an impact. This person has been an inspiration for others when it comes to creating dementia-friendly communities.

Who is eligible for the Dementia-Friendly Ally award?

The Dementia-Friendly Ally award is for a person who has either:

Been an integral part of the creation, development and/or delivery of a project geared to improving the lives of people affected by dementia.
Used their voice to raise awareness of dementia and to advocate for people living with the disease.

Criteria:

The work took place in Canada.
This person could be a care partner, researcher, health professional etc.
The person has played an active role in the creation, development and/or delivery of a project geared to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.
This person’s contributions have had an impact.
This person has been an inspiration for others when it comes to creating dementia-friendly communities.

Who is eligible for the Dementia-Friendly Grassroots Group?

The Dementia-Friendly Grassroots Group award recognizes a small group (for example, a book club, sports team or service group) who raised awareness, created a positive change, or challenged misperceptions in their community to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.

Criteria:

The work took place in Canada.
This is a small grassroots organization.
The group has played an active role in the creation, development and/or delivery of a project geared to better the lives of those living with dementia.
This group’s contributions have had an impact. This group has been an inspiration for others on what is possible when it comes to creating dementia-friendly communities.

Who is eligible for the Dementia-Friendly Municipality?

The Dementia-Friendly Municipality award recognizes a municipality (township, district, city, or town) that has incorporated dementia-friendly practices into their strategic plan or implemented an initiative that has bettered the lives of people affected by dementia.

Criteria:

This is a municipality in Canada/the work took place in Canada.
The municipality has played an active role in the creation, development and/or delivery of a project geared to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.
This municipality’s contributions have had an impact.
This municipality has been an inspiration for others when it comes to creating dementia-friendly communities.

Who is eligible for the Dementia-Friendly Organization (small to medium)?

The Dementia-Friendly Organization award is for a small to medium not-for-profit or for-profit organization/business (less than 250 staff) that has implemented a dementia-friendly initiative that supports their clients and/or employees impacted by dementia.

Criteria:

This organization operates in Canada/the work they took part in took place in Canada.
Organization has 250 employees or less.
Successfully implemented a dementia friendly initiative that supports their clients or employees impacted by dementia.
This group’s contributions have had an impact.
This group has been an inspiration for others when it comes to creating dementia-friendly communities.

Who is eligible for the Dementia-Friendly Organization (large)?

The Dementia-Friendly Organization award is for a large not-for-profit or for-profit organization/business (over 250 staff members) that has implemented a dementia-friendly initiative that supports their clients and/or employees impacted by dementia.

Criteria:

This organization operates in Canada/the work they took part in took place in Canada.
The organization has over 250 employees.
Successfully implemented a dementia-friendly initiative that supports their clients or employees impacted by dementia.
This group’s contributions have had an impact.
This group has been an inspiration for others when it comes to creating dementia-friendly communities.

If you have any additional question about the National Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards or the Dementia-Friendly Canada project please contact Heather Cowie, National Project Manager at hcowie@alzheimerbc.org