What is a dementia-friendly community?

Learn more about our Dementia-Friendly Communities initiative, hear a local advocate's story and discover why dementia-friendly communities are important in B.C. and internationally.

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We all have a role to play in creating dementia-friendly communities. We encourage you to read on and learn more about how you can be a part of this initiative!

What is a dementia-friendly community?

A dementia-friendly community focuses on stigma reduction and the inclusion of people living with dementia in the places they work, live and play. When people living with dementia are met with compassion and are acknowledged as rightful members of society, dementia is brought into the open where we can address it together.

Everyone – local governments, the professional sector, community groups and the general public – can work towards becoming more dementia friendly.

Jim's story

Jim Mann, an advocate for people living with dementia, shares his experiences with Alzheimer’s disease in this video, “Jim’s Story.” Developed in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and the City of Vancouver, the video explains how communities can support people affected by dementia.

Why are dementia-friendly communities important in B.C.?

  • Dementia affects approximately 70,000 people in B.C. This number is expected to grow as the population of the province ages. Dementia affects not only individuals, but caregivers, families and communities too.
  • Approximately 60 per cent of people living with dementia live by themselves or with a caregiver in our communities.

 

A global movement

The Dementia-Friendly Communities (DFC) movement began in Japan to accommodate an aging population. From there, the initiative spread to the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and North America. It’s truly become a global effort to create communities that acknowledge the human dignity of people living with dementia. The Alzheimer Society of B.C. contributes to the global DFC efforts through our Dementia-Friendly Communities initiative.

Our approach

The Society’s Dementia-Friendly Communities (DFC) initiative focuses its efforts on three pillars: people, policy and practice.

 

More useful links and resources

To learn more about dementia, visit our Learning about dementia page.

To learn more about dementia-friendly communities work being done on a global scale, visit:

If you have any questions, inquiries, or would like more details on how you can be dementia-friendly, contact us at dementiafriendlybc@alzheimerbc.org or 604-742-4910.