Dementia-care training expands with $4.3-million investment
Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick receives funds for dementia-care training to front-line workers in care homes, home support workers and family caregivers.
News Release
Social Development
Dementia-care training expands with $4.3-million investment
23 January 2026
FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial and federal governments are providing $4.3 million over four years to support the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick in introducing dementia-care training to front-line workers in care homes, home support workers and family caregivers.
Funding for this initiative is provided through the Canada-New Brunswick Aging with Dignity agreement signed in 2024. The Department of Social Development identified dementia-care training as a key priority and partnered with the society to deliver the U-First! training program. Following its successful implementation, an additional $500,000 was committed in 2025 to expand the program's reach.
“New Brunswick is dedicated to working with organizations like the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick to deliver services directly to communities,” said Seniors Minister Lyne Chantal Boudreau. “We thank our federal partners and the society for their efforts to provide front-line staff and friend and family caregivers the highly specialized skills required for providing quality dementia care.”
The U-First! training program is intended for those supporting a person with behaviour changes due to dementia or another cognitive impairment.
“The U-First! program will empower caregivers by giving them the tools they need to offer the best care possible,” said federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel. “This investment will also improve the quality of care for individuals living with dementia and cognitive impairments in New Brunswick. This is a great example of the impact of our Aging with Dignity bilateral agreements, which will help Canadians age closer to home, and aligns with the national dementia strategy’s objective to improve quality of life for people living with dementia and their caregivers.”
The government recently unveiled its three-year strategy and action plan for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The plan is intended to reduce risk, improve early diagnosis and ensure co-ordinated, compassionate care for New Brunswickers living with dementia and their care partners. The Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick has been granted an additional $1 million to enhance its programs and services in support of the strategy’s implementation.
U-First! is designed to complement other dementia-care training. The society has been working since last June to provide training to more than 500 front-line staff. The second phase of the program will train 1,400 front-line staff and 200 friend and family care partners per year over the next three years.
“We are grateful that the Alzheimer Society was provided this funding to provide U-First! training in New Brunswick,” said Chandra MacBean, the society’s executive director. “The distinctive learning approach, encompassing the whole care team, makes U-First! unique. We believe this program will begin a shift in the culture of care for people living with dementia, and we are already seeing incredible results from the training.”