Diversity Equity and Inclusion

The people of Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan are privileged to live and work across the traditionally sacred land we now know as Saskatchewan. We recognize the enduring presence of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Nakota, Lakota, Saulteaux, and Metis people, who are the original stewards of the rolling hills, rushing rivers, and living sky we all share today.

As an organization, we acknowledge the harms of the past and how Indigenous People are still impacted by the process of Colonialism. Through partnership, education, and collective action, we commit to honouring our relationship to the land, our Treaties, and each other as we journey towards Wakohtahisowin (“reconciliation” in Cree).

- Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan Provincial Land Acknowledgment

Our Culture

At the Alzheimer Society, we believe that everyone affected by dementia has the right to be the person that they are, to live without fear or prejudice regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, faith and belief or a disability like dementia.

We acknowledge that some individuals and groups encounter barriers to equitable access to participate in the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan. These barriers limit our capacity as a leading charity that supports people living with dementia.

The Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is committed to becoming an organization that promotes respect, equity, access, and participation in all internal and external relations.

Strengthening our Community of Support

Strategic Plan

Our Board of Directors have identified several priorities to help the Society become more diverse, equitable and inclusive. We aspire to:

• Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging to improve the recruitment, retention, and experience of Board Members, leadership, staff, and volunteers while ensuring the organization is reflective of the broad diversity of our province;
• Enrich organizational capabilities to engage and serve more diverse communities and underserved groups and populations (e.g. rural & northern communities, Indigenous People, and other diverse populations);
• Ensure that groups and organizations reflecting the broad diversity of our province, including people with lived experience, are encouraged to participate when consulting publicly about the organization’s priorities and strategies;
• Advocate for equity, access, and participation for diverse groups within stakeholder relationships;
• Undertake ongoing education and training to enhance diversity knowledge and skills; and,
• Evaluate our own performance against these goals.

Promoting Inclusion for all People Living with Dementia

Our team members are focused on building relationships and engaging people of ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, faiths, and ability levels. To help enhance and expand our service delivery, some of our key activities, to date, include:

• Conducting internal diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) surveys to better understand the diversity and culture of our organization’s teams;
• Forming an internal DEI Committee to create and oversee an annual plan to achieve our DEI strategic priorities;
• Developing an Anti-Discrimination Policy;
• Engaging in land acknowledgement training and the development of a land acknowledgement for the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan;
• Applying for and maintaining membership as an employer partner with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI);
• Amending our database to begin to include new indicators to collect demographic information for each client including: gender identity, race/ethnicity, language at birth for the person living with dementia, and sexual orientation;
• Creating materials that reflect diversity and inclusivity, and present positive images;
• Participating in (DEI) education and learning opportunities

92% of our staff report seeing positive examples of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

We acknowledge that becoming an organization that is equitable, diverse and inclusive is a process – an exercise in change management.  As we consciously embed principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, the culture of our organization will evolve.

We are committed to providing a safe space for learning and unlearning. We aren’t always going to get things right and, when this happens, we will work to make things right. 

Diversity Partners

The Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is a proud employer partner with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. We work with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) to identify core competencies and trainings for our staff, curate supplementary learning opportunities for staff to engage in on-going Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)-based education, and participate in their community of practice events and annual ‘Un-conference.’