A message from our CEO: Reflecting on 2023-2024

We’re coming off the heels of our Annual General Meeting, where we reflected on our last fiscal year and looked forward to what is to come.

A sincere thank you to everyone who attended – whether in-person or online. It was our first time gathering in-person for our AGM since 2019, and it was a joy to see so many folks again!

We were thrilled to bring greetings and messages from both the Honourable Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care and His Honour Arthur J. LeBlanc, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, as we attended our annual business.

Some key pieces that were shared at the event can be found below:

• A digital copy of our Annual Report
• Our audited financial statements
• A recording of the event

A special thank you to our members who supported the voting process of the AGM. If you’d like you become a member of our Society, click here to learn more.

We were thrilled to host our first ever Dementia Friendly Communities awards at this year’s AGM! The awards spotlight the amazing work that is going onto make our communities more dementia friendly, and highlight our focus on community-level engagement. Read all about this year’s recipients here.

We gave an update on our strategic plan, including dynamic conversations with people in the room to spark new and innovative ideas that can support the plan through to 2027.

Lighting the Future Path: Strategic Intentions 2022-2027 is heavily influenced by The Landmark Study, the first new Canadian dementia data in 12 years when it was released by the Alzheimer Society of Canada in 2021.

Landmark is a three-part research study that outlines the projections for dementia in Canada to 2050, including the changing demographics of who will be affected. It’s an eye-opening read, and you can find Volume 1 here, and Volume 2 here (Volume 3 is intended to be released in 2025).

Meeting the future needs of dementia in Nova Scotia – from the volume of folks who need support, to the kind of support that’s needed, to how that support is delivered across the various geographies of our province – is a challenge that affects us all.

We invited folks in the room at the AGM to consider four challenge statements that summarize the key issues we face as we consider this future. This is the dialogue that’s needed, and we are committed to being at the forefront of these discussions.

For those that weren’t in the room (or those that were, but have additional thoughts), we have created a brief survey, which you can access here, to capture your thoughts on these challenge statements. We’ll be reviewing and considering these responses as part of our annual planning.

What’s next at the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia?

A priority for the Society is to remain connected to our communities and encourage open discussions. As we build on the concept of Community Champions – an engagement model that aims to promote support at community level – we are excited to share details of our next community touchpoints:

• Community Week: September 22-28, 2024: A series of in-person events in SEVEN communities across Nova Scotia, with a livestream option available. Locations and registration details will be available soon!
• Annual Conference: October 22^nd, 2024: Our annual gathering of our healthcare sector (open to all) remains a calendar highlight as we share best practices, consider research developments, and promote new and emerging initiatives. Learn more and register here.

And finally – as we face the reality of an 87% increase in people living with dementia in Nova Scotia over the coming decades, a critical part of the puzzle is reducing risk for everyone and keeping our brains as healthy as possible (including those who have a dementia diagnosis). Population-level risk reduction is one of the most effective ways to tackle the ‘future crisis,’ and you can learn all about reducing your own risk here.

Looking to the future can be scary – especially knowing what we now know thanks to the Landmark Study. At the Society, we remain hopeful. We have so many talented and passionate folks across all aspects of our healthcare, senior, and social care sectors and there is an incredible amount of amazing work underway.

Together, we can provide not only help for today by supporting the thousands of Nova Scotians on the dementia journey, but also hope for tomorrow by investing in equity and accessibility, community-level supports, research and advocacy, and population-level brain health.

Thank you for being a truly valued friend and supporter of our Society.