Dementia Friendly Community Conversation

To learn more about dementia friendly communities in Saskatchewan contact  Erica Zarazun ezarazun@alzheimer.sk.ca

 

“The goal being to educate and support-- this ideally is that no matter where a care partner or person living with dementia goes they have access to dementia friendly communities that are safe, knowledgeable, and inclusive and then individuals and families can then thrive in their chosen spaces for as long as possible. We know that 62 percent of Manitobans are impacted by dementia, so they have a family member or friend living with the disease, and we also know that 60 percent of people living with dementia in Canada are currently residing at home.”

Nicole McDonald

Sana Aziz from the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia, Beth House from the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, Nicole McDonald from the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, and Erica Zarazun from the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan met to discuss the work on dementia friendly communities their Societies are doing. They have been connected through the Dementia Friendly Canada project national working group, which you can find more information about here: Dementia Friendly Canada

“I'm really happy that the Dementia Friendly Canada project has allowed us to come together on one platform and do something like we're doing today. I hope as we plan for the future that we can continue to learn from each other and strengthen the work nationally as we work towards a more dementia friendly Canada.”

 Sana Aziz

 

The panelist talked about the work they are doing on dementia friendly communities, where people can begin when thinking about making dementia friendly changes, and the plans their Societies have going forward with dementia friendly community initiatives. Each panelist came to the conversation with different experience.

“In Saskatchewan, we have been focusing on education and awareness about dementia and information on physical environments and how facilities can be more dementia friendly. Our perspective is that awareness is an important step in dementia friendly communities because if you can't change the conversation about dementia then you can't expect anything in the community to change.”

Erica Zarazun

Sana Aziz, who is the Strategic Lead for dementia friendly communities in BC, highlighted the three pillars they center their dementia friendly approach around: people, practice, and policy. These pillars include their approaches to education, their stakeholder groups such as first responders, transportation, libraries, recreation groups, and museums, and focusing on providing support and resources to these sectors. BC has also focused on creating partnerships with their municipalities. Aziz highlighted the road forward for them is through increased advocacy and awareness for people living with dementia and their care partners so they can safely enjoy their communities and activities while feeling supported because their voices are being heard and listened to.

“The policy pillar essentially that's really the one that we've done focused a lot on over the past few years which is geared towards building relationships partnering and building relationships with municipalities across British Columbia to really identify what dementia friendly means for them”

Sana Aziz

Nicole McDonald, the Dementia Friendly Community Program Manager in Manitoba, shared about the work she does to advocate for people living with dementia and their care partners, so they have the support to live at home for as long as it is safe and ensure they have access to community resources and recreational programs. Their Society works with many different sectors including restaurants, transportation, libraries, first responders, and retail. McDonald also works with the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba Museum of Cinema, Park Zoo, and the Prairie Theater Exchange to support them in running inclusive and welcoming programs for people living with dementia and their care partners. Through the advocacy efforts of the Alzheimer's Society of Manitoba, they were included for the first time in the Government of Manitoba’s senior strategy this past February.

“I work with organizations to go through a 75-minute Dementia Friendly Canada module. We then conduct site visits to make small but mighty changes that are not an expense to the site and I support them to build their first session of programming to ensure it is dementia friendly. From there I will act as a liaison and support to our host like contacts wherever they need information help with clients, volunteer support, or resources and in addition to the community partner programs that I continue to work and expand in the city of Winnipeg and Rural Manitoba.”

Nicole McDonald

“I guarantee that anyone that reaches out to any Society across Canada, we would review your options with you-- whether that be dependent on each Society's capacity for presentations, dementia friendly Community training, education sessions, and resources. I do believe that a great first starting point that we use nationally is the Dementia Friendly Canada modules, they're a good starting point for a better understanding as dementia as an overall disease, the impacts it has on individuals, as well as simple ways to be inclusive within your spaces or inclusive as an individual without drawing attention to a person trying to live and engage in their community.”

Beth House

Beth House, who is the dementia friendly communities lead in Nova Scotia, expressed her optimism for the dementia friendly communities project with their organization, as it is a newer project for them, and talked about how supported she feels as being part of the Dementia Friendly Canada project and all the resources that are available to support dementia friendly community initiatives. Their Society has been working with the Nova Scotia Center for Aging, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax Library, Pier 21 Museum of Immigration, and has begun working with the search and rescue new initiatives project manager and first responders. For being a newer project for Nova Scotia, they have already been making progress with dementia friendly community initiatives and important partnerships to make a difference in their communities for people living with dementia.

“Emphasizing older adults staying at home as long as it is appropriate and safe, so it's essential for communities to have the tools to support this goal. People living with dementia should be supported in the places where they live, where they still work, and in the services in the organizations which they and their care partners interact. They should be able to live with dignity and respect in their various communities-- not only across Nova Scotia but across the country, and across the world.”

Beth House

Erica Zarazun, the Public Awareness Coordinator at the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, highlighted the work being done across Saskatchewan, which includes the Dementia Supports in Rural Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Population Health Evaluation Research Unit projects, our ongoing work with engaging libraries, faith groups, museums, Indigenous and rural communities, and the new partnership with Conexus Credit Union. Zarazun discussed the importance of meeting organizations where they are at and assessing what their individual needs are before deciding to make any changes because these changes can look different for every organization.

“We believe being dementia friendly is an ongoing process, so we do not currently certify organizations as dementia friendly, but we do hope to support organizations in embedding dementia friendly initiatives into their staff onboarding and daily practices.”

Erica Zarazun

 

You may be wondering, where do I start?

Unanimously, the panelists recommend reaching out to your local Alzheimer Society for support and information on dementia friendly community initiatives. We want to point out that changes do not need to be big to make a big difference. You can start by making simple effective changes in your daily communication and decluttering your walking spaces.

“I always envision a dementia friendly community to be a place where people living with dementia and their care partners can really freely move about in their daily activities, be social, be active while dealing with fewer barriers and less stigma.”

Sana Aziz

 

To learn about the future plans for dementia friendly initiatives across Canada and ways you can become a dementia friendly community, you can view the recording here: Dementia Friendly Community Conversation - April 2023

To learn more about dementia friendly communities in Saskatchewan contact  Erica Zarazun ezarazun@alzheimer.sk.ca