Accessibility & Dementia

“All stores assume that everyone out there is able-minded or they wouldn’t be shopping. Awareness that people do live and shop and function in our world even though they may have challenges such as dementia is necessary.”

Community changes everything when it comes to dementia. We know that when efforts are made to increase the dementia friendliness of local spaces, systems, and interactions, they have a big impact on the experience of individuals affected by dementia in the community.

That’s why we are taking steps to share information about dementia and dementia friendly considerations with the Government of Saskatchewan as it endeavours to create new Accessibility Legislation for the province.

By creating enforceable standards to identify, remove, and prevent accessibility barriers that affect participation in communities, the Accessibility Legislation is intended to support increased inclusion and accessibility in the province. There is a strong link to our Dementia Friendly Communities efforts in this process and there is a need for dementia friendly perspectives to be included so that the legislation is as informed and considerate as possible about the experiences of people affected by dementia in our province.

With over 20,000 individuals living with dementia in Saskatchewan today – an estimated 60% of whom live in the community in their own homes – we know that dementia friendly actions and considerations are incredibly important in creating a future for this province that is more accessible, supportive, and inclusive.

Throughout October 2021, we asked our constituents to share feedback on a short survey to help us learn more about the experience of dementia as it relates to the 6 key areas the Government of Saskatchewan has identified for it’s Accessibility Legislation. We are continuing to review and learn from the responses.

A full “What We Heard” report will be shared publicly to emphasize the need for dementia friendly considerations when it comes to accessibility.

For now, here is a snapshot of some initial results from our Accessibility & Dementia survey.

• 81 survey responses were received from individuals living with dementia, current and past care partners, friends/family members of someone who has (or had) dementia, as well as Health Care Professionals.

• Information and Communications was identified by 65% of respondents as the key area they felt was the most important with relevance to dementia & accessibility.

“It may be helpful to have staff who interact with people with dementia learn more about the disease, especially communication tips and strategies. Some people with dementia may find it easier to call a general inquiry public service phone line and talk to a person versus trying to navigate phone menus with multiple options.”

• Design of Public Spaces was identified as the second most important key area with regard to experiences of dementia.

“We have had difficulty trying to use independent change rooms at the Aquatic Centre. There is one family dressing room available to us at each of the city facilities, but this is not enough due to the number of young families also needing them.”

• Respondents indicated barriers or challenges regarding Information & Communications are a daily occurrence for 11/79 respondents (14%) and a frequent occurrence (several times a week) for 26/79 respondents (33%).

• Barriers or challenges regarding design of public spaces are a daily occurrence for 6/79 respondents (8%).