Dementia Friendly Communities Ontario
A Dementia Friendly Community is a place where people living with dementia are understood, respected, and supported. Read more about how to be dementia-friendly and how you can help on this page!
Join us in creating safe and supportive spaces for people with dementia by learning how to create a Dementia Friendly Community!
What is a Dementia Friendly Community?
A Dementia Friendly Community is a place where people living with dementia are understood, respected, and supported. It's an environment where they will feel more confident in their abilities to contribute to community life, will be included in conversations, and have a choice and control over their day-to-day lives.
People with dementia and their care partners have the right to live well in the community, together. As more people are diagnosed with dementia every year and choose to live at home, we need to determine how we can better support people living with dementia.
Join thousands of Ontarians in showing your support for people living with dementia and their care partners. Together, we can create a Dementia Friendly Community.
Dementia-Friendly Canada™
The Dementia-Friendly Canada™ project is a partnership between Alzheimer Societies across the country. One of the project goals is to train Canada’s workforce to be dementia-friendly. We are doing this is by developing free tools and resources to give Canadians knowledge and confidence to support and include people affected by dementia in their communities.
The Building Dementia-Friendly Communities e-learning course is designed for professionals working in three areas:
- Recreation and library
- Restaurant and retail (customer services and general public)
- Public transportation sectors
The course has 4 modules approximately 15 minutes each:
- What is a dementia-friendly community?: An introduction to the concept and dementia-friendly efforts at the community level.
- Dementia-friendly interactions: Social environment considerations, such as ways you can communicate effectively with someone living with dementia.
- Dementia-friendly spaces: Physical environment considerations, such as ways you can optimize your space to be dementia-friendly.
- Dementia-friendly policies, practices and services for organizations: Provides specific scenarios and recommendations.
The information is practical and is helpful for people from all levels of an organization – from customer-facing staff, to management, and to key decision-makers.
To register for the course, click here.
Help Make Your Community Dementia Friendly
Dementia Friendly Communities™ training will help you better understand the everyday experiences of people living with dementia.
How to get started
For Individuals
- Access training through your Local Society.
- Take the Building Dementia Friendly Communities e-learning course.
- If you're a person with dementia, you can join an Advisory Group.
- Sign up to volunteer with the Alzheimer Society.
- Become a Dementia Friend.
For Community Leaders
Are you a community partner or member of a local government? Here are 3 easy steps to become a Dementia Friendly Community supporter.
- Connect with your local Society offering Dementia Friendly training.
- The Society will work with you to determine your training needs and will provide customized in-person training.
- The Society will work with you to establish an ongoing partnership and support network.
For Businesses, Organizations & Agencies
Are you a business, organization, or agency who wants to become a Dementia Friendly Community supporter? Here's how:
- Connect with a Society offering Dementia Friendly training.
- The Society will work with you to determine your training needs and will provide customized in-person training.
- The Society will work with you to establish an ongoing partnership and support network.
The Benefits of Becoming a Dementia Friendly Community Supporter
- Join a global movement.
- Support a large and growing part of the population.
- Be accessible to people with all types of abilities.
- Receive recognition in our online directory of current supporters so your community will know you are helping build a Dementia Friendly Ontario!
Get Connected
If you have any questions, please contact Dawn Hannah at the Alzheimer Society of Ontario. Find your Local Alzheimer Society here.
Our Supporters
The Alzheimer Society recognizes and thanks the municipalities, businesses, service providers, and community leaders listed here who have completed Dementia Friendly community training throughout Ontario.
Our Leading Partners
Resources
- Dementia Friendly Canada™
- Dementia-Friendly Communities Pilot Program Evaluation Report
- Language guidelines
- Overview of Dementia in the Workplace
- Physical Environment checklist
- Post-training self-check
- Stay active with dementia through Minds in Motion®
- Support people with dementia to live safely through Finding Your Way
- Rethinking Dementia Engagement Framework
Dementia Friendly Communities Showcase
From care partners to people living with dementia, hear from those who have taken the Dementia Friendly Communities™ training.
Joan Regan - Care Partner - Shoes
Joan Regan - Care Partner - At the cash
Joan Regan, Care Partner - A tire story
Gilbert Arial - Living with dementia
Wayne Markell ACP, Cornwall SDG Paramedic Services
Staff Sergeant George Knezevic - Cornwall Community Police Services
Deniz Bokesoy - Ottawa Public Library
Suzie Pilon, Owner - Pharmacist, Medical Arts Pharmacy
Louise et François Lussier
Louise et François Lussier - La quincaillerie
Louise et François Lussier - L' aéroport
Guy Lauzon, Member of Parliament - Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
Kelly Burgess, Manager, Scotiabank, Deep River
Sabiha Azizullah - Care Partner - Respecting Cultural Differences
Bruce Henbest, Upper Canada Village
Mayor Leslie O'Shaughnessy - Cornwall
Laurie Hagan & Charlene Upper - RBC Cornwall
Suzie Pilon - Pharmacienne - Propriétaire - Pharmacie Medical Arts
Bernadette Clement - Roy McMurtry (SDG) Legal Clinic
Bernadette Clement - Roy McMurtry (SDG) Legal Clinic
Laurie Kennedy - Dignity Memorial
Roger Marple - How to be Dementia Friendly
Roger Marple - A Dementia Friendly Story
Dementia Friendly Communities: Cornwall and District