Rural Updates and Opportunities

Saskatchewan

Learn more about how community organizations in Yorkton, Melville, and the surrounding rural communities are working together to offer learning opportunities centred around dementia.

A local park setting with three walking paths to choose from.

The Saltcoats Public Library and Seniors Centre are building a community of support and understanding for people affected by dementia.

On Thursday, May 26th, they are jointly hosting our Dementia Community Coordinator to deliver a public presentation about the 10 evidence-based warning signs of dementia. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the Dementia Supports in Rural Saskatchewan project that’s currently happening in Yorkton, Melville, and the surrounding rural areas. This ABC’s of Dementia presentation is open to anyone and takes place:

Thursday, May 26th, 2022 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm 

Saltcoats Community Services Building

117 Allen Avenue, Saltcoats, SK

Local Contact: Sandra Kerr – (306) 744-2977

A table with a projector set up and the Alzheimer Society logo projected onto the wall behind it.
Our Dementia Community Coordinator's set up before a recent ABC's of Dementia presentation.

Our Dementia Community Coordinator is also busy preparing to facilitate staff dementia education with Yorkton Pharmasave on June 2nd. The staff have already been provided the Pharmacy Edition of our Dementia Friendly Toolkit and the learning day will build on the information it features to help staff better respond to and support people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Community Changes Everything

The Dementia Supports in Rural Saskatchewan (DSRS) project follows a collective impact approach, which means there are multiple organizations from different sectors working together to improve the social inclusion of people living with dementia, and their care partners in Yorkton, Melville, and the surrounding rural communities.

A quality evaluation process helps all community organizations involved in a project better understand the impact of their work. A large part of this collective impact has been dedicated to the development of a shared measurement system between all participating community organizations to accurately capture all relevant data and promote ongoing evaluation and learning.  

Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) recently released their Evaluation Update of the DSRS project. The report outlines successes the project experienced on individual, organizational, community, and policy levels between September 2019 and October 2021.

Employment Opportunity Based in Yorkton

“What I love most about being a First Link Coordinator is having the opportunity to connect and support people living with dementia and their family and friends. To be on the dementia journey with someone, to share information on how to get a diagnosis, help someone navigate our challenging health care system, or provide hope to live better with their diagnosis is such a privilege.”

- Connie Snider, First Link Coordinator, Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan

If you have a passion for dementia advocacy and care, we have an exciting career opportunity as a First Link® Coordinator based in Yorkton, serving east-central Saskatchewan. In this exciting role, you will primarily support people living with dementia and their family caregivers and work collaboratively with our Dementia Community Coordinator to bolster public awareness and engagement around our dementia initiatives.

For a full job description and information on how to apply, please see our website.

To book our Dementia Community Coordinator for a public presentation for your community or organization, please connect with:

Jackie Hofstrand 

Dementia Community Coordinator

Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan

(306) 783-6606

[email protected]

Related Links:

https://www.ruraldementiask.ca

Dementia Supports in Rural Saskatchewan is led by the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) at the University of Regina and is funded by the Government of Canada.

SPHERU Project Logos