Knowledge Changes Everything: Collecting demographic data at ASNS

At the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, we’ve made a commitment to I.D.E.A. – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility – and ensuring we’re here for ALL Nova Scotians on the dementia journey. To truly do that, we need to better understand who our clients are and the communities to which they belong.

We are excited to share with you that our Programs and Services team have started a direct approach to collecting demographic data from our clients. You may notice some new questions being asked by our InfoLine staff around race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, health, well-being and more.

Demographic data is a building block in identifying and understanding health inequities and gaps in care, specifically in our service delivery.

Through this data collection, we will be able to better understand our clients’ needs, and advance equity through the design and delivery of programs and services to meet the needs of diverse communities. 

Understanding clients as a whole person is essential in being truly person-centred. People living with dementia and their care partners are people first and our approach to serving them must include the whole person. By understanding the whole person, we will be able to support our clients’ needs in ways that are affirming and culturally relevant.

We understand that answering these questions can feel sensitive for some, and participation is voluntary – you can opt out of answering all or some at any time.

We hope that some may feel relieved that we are asking these questions, and that they feel supported in knowing we’re gathering this information.

If you do choose to participate, you can rest assured that your information will be kept private and confidential. Every staff member at the Society signs a confidentiality agreement, and access to client files is limited to those that need the information for their specific role. 

This is part of an Alzheimer Society Federation-wide project, with Societies from across the country participating. We're proud to have had our Manager of Client Services, Kaija Whittam, co-chair the Community of Practice that helped shape this initiative.

Collecting this data throughout the federation will help us better understand our clients not only in Nova Scotia, but across the country.