Community-based dementia projects play a key role in dementia support and awareness across Canada. From fostering connections to enhancing well-being, these programs are at the heart of dementia-capable communities.
To date, 35 dementia-related projects have received funding from the Government of Canada’s Dementia Community Investment (DCI). All of these projects receive support from the Canadian Dementia Learning and Resource Network (CDLRN), a collaborative knowledge and support hub housed at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA).
Each year, CDLRN hosts a forum that brings together DCI project leaders, researchers, people living with dementia, care partners, and community organizations from across the country. The national gathering, hosted on September 23 and 24 this year at the RIA in Waterloo, Ontario, is an opportunity to share knowledge, build capacity and collaborate.
Bringing Community Dementia Initiatives Together
Ahead of the forum, we’re spotlighting six community-based dementia projects that received DCI funding over the last year. These six projects reflect exciting, evidence-informed approaches that support people living with dementia, care partners and the general public. They join four other projects currently funded through DCI and supported by CDLRN.
Artful Moments: Community Connections
The Artful Moments: Community Connections program, delivered by the Art Gallery of Hamilton, offers multilingual, art-based activities that foster self-expression, social connection and a sense of belonging. Artful Moments supports people living with dementia and care partners in the Greater Hamilton Area, particularly those who do not speak English as their first language.
Building Community, Sharing Dance
Offered by Canada’s National Ballet School, Building Community, Sharing Dance is co-developing dance programs in Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories for people living with dementia and at risk of dementia. The program serves racialized, Indigenous and equity-deserving communities. It aims to enhance well-being, foster social inclusion and challenge dementia stigma.
Care Partners Ed
The Centre for Health Care Research and Innovation at Conestoga College developed CARE Partners Ed, which includes three free online learning modules and a resource document that lists supports available by province. Co-designed with family care partners, health care providers and other experts, the resources deliver practical, accessible information about how to support people living with dementia.
Skills, Education and Empowerment for Dementia Support
Skills, Education and Empowerment for Dementia Support (SEEDS), led by the University of Northern British Columbia and Northern Health Authority, facilitates education sessions for family and friend care partners in rural, northern and remote communities. The goal of the sessions is to help care partners improve quality of life for people living with dementia, while enhancing their own well-being and preventing burnout.
Caring Spaces
Hosted at McGill University, Caring Spaces supports the dementia journey through a combination of in-person and online spaces for learning, collaboration, psychosocial support and peer mentorship. The initiative focuses on underserved and equity-deserving populations, individuals with young-onset dementia, and racially and linguistically diverse communities in Montreal.
Precision Dementia Prevention
Precision Dementia Prevention, an initiative of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, aims to proactively reduce dementia risk among Ottawa adults, particularly in underserved populations. By pairing a personalized risk assessment tool with local community programming, the project connects people to local supports that match their individual risk profile.
Follow Us on the Journey
We’re excited to welcome these six community-based dementia initiatives, along with ongoing DCI-funded projects, to this month’s annual forum. Subscribe to CDLRN updates to follow along as the new projects roll out. And stay tuned to the RIA blog for takeaways, success stories and photos from the event.
Production of this project has been made possible through funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.