Dementia-Friendly Canada

By the end of the decade, almost one million Canadians will live with dementia. The impact of dementia is and will continue to be felt across all borders, sectors and cultures. We must act and build a dementia-friendly Canada now.

What is Dementia-Friendly Canada?

The logo for the Dementia-Friendly Canada project, which is a blue forget-me-not flower in front of a red maple leaf

The Dementia-Friendly Canada project is an Alzheimer Society federation partnership intended to foster the creation of dementia-friendly communities across the country.

A dementia-friendly community is a place where people living with dementia, their families and care partners feel included and supported. While creating dementia-friendly communities, individuals and organizations should focus on both the physical and social environments to ensure they are fully accessible.

The Dementia-Friendly Canada project provides educational opportunities for the general public and professionals working in the community to mobilize them to champion dementia-friendly principles wherever they go.

We are pleased to announce the launch of four new public service announcements! These short (under 90 seconds) videos feature communication tips on how to be dementia friendly. You can find the PSAs under the video section on this page

The 2023 Dementia-Friendly Communites Awards

On Sunday, January 15, the Alzheimer Society was thrilled to host the inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!

Part of our Dementia-Friendly Canada project, the Awards recognized the incredible changes people are creating to make Canada more welcoming, inclusive and supportive of people living with dementia.

You can now watch the recording of the awards broadcast, as well as the full list of categories, nominees and winners.

Congrats to all the nominees and winners for their dedication to making a difference – you are all an inspiration!

What are the goals of Dementia-Friendly Canada?

A young retail worker helping a senior couple with their purchase.

It is critical that everything we do as part of the Dementia-Friendly Canada project is guided by the voices of people with lived experience. We are also committed to building tools and resources that stem from best practices and can be easily utilized across the country.

These guiding principles play a key role in achieving each of the project’s three main goals:

  1. Training Canada’s workforce to be dementia friendly.
  2. Educating the general public about dementia and promoting dementia-friendliness through awareness campaigns and resources.
  3. Achieving sustainability and ensuring growth of the Dementia-Friendly Canada initiative across the country.

Dementia-Friendly Communities initiatives

Dementia-Friendly resources

Online education

Banner for Dementia-Friendly Canada -- Building Dementia-Friendly Communities

Building Dementia-Friendly Communities online education for: Recreation and Library, Restaurant and Retail, and Public Transportation.

The course will provide a foundational knowledge of dementia, and outline the considerations that organizations can include in their social and physical environments in order to better support and include people living with dementia.

Tip sheets

Building Dementia-Friendly Communities tip sheets:

Dementia-Friendly Canada - How to be a Dementia Friend (PDF)

Creating dementia-friendly communities takes an effort from everyone – individuals and organizations alike – to learn about and promote dementia-friendly principles in the physical and social environments of our workplaces, neighbourhoods and beyond

Front page of the Dementia-Friendly Canada tip-sheet 'How to be a dementia friend'
Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for Dementia-Friendly Interactions (PDF)

Incorporating these tips into everyday interactions will help staff at all levels of your organization contribute to a more supportive, inclusive and dementia-friendly community.

Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for Dementia-Friendly Interactions - cover
Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for dementia-friendly interactions from behind a mask (PDF)

The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we interact in our communities and public spaces. Staying connected and engaged is a challenge for all of us, but particularly for people living with dementia. Ensuring the community is dementia friendly has become even more important.

Here are some things you can do in your workplace to build on your dementia-friendly communication skills while keeping everyone safe.

Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for dementia-friendly interactions from behind a mask - cover
Dementia-Friendly Canada - Dementia-Friendly Language Guidelines (PDF)

In a dementia-friendly community, people use language that is respectful and inclusive of people who live with dementia and their care partners. By using dementia-friendly language, you can help reduce the stigma.

Dementia-Friendly Canada - Dementia-Friendly Language Guidelines - cover
Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for Dementia-Friendly Spaces (PDF)

Use this checklist to assess your workplace environment and develop your action plan for making the space more dementia friendly.

Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for Dementia-Friendly Spaces - cover
Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for Dementia-Friendly Written Material (PDF)

Written communication can be confusing for people living with dementia. Here are some tips to help make your organization’s written materials more dementia friendly.

Dementia-Friendly Canada - Tips for Dementia-Friendly Written Material - cover

Videos

Many of us will interact with someone living with dementia in our communities. This may be in our workplace, or as we are completing our day-to-day activities. By learning a little more about dementia, we can ensure that people living with dementia and their care partners feel valued, included and supported. The following PSAs demonstrate common scenarios and simple actions we can take to create a dementia-friendly Canada.

Ways you can be dementia friendly: reducing distractions

Ways you can be dementia friendly: ensuring participation

Ways you can be dementia friendly: providing assistance

Ways you can be dementia friendly: responding compassionately

 

What is a dementia-friendly community?

March 21, 2022. YouTube. Watch this short animated video about the importance of building dementia-friendly communities and the actions you can take to ensure people living with dementia feel supported and included.

Webinars 

Dementia-Friendly Canada: Building dementia-friendly communities

March 9, 2022. Vimeo. This presentation provides an introduction to our course Building dementia-friendly communities. The course is designed for professionals working in the following three sector groups: recreation and library, restaurant and retail, and public transportation sectors and provides a foundational knowledge of dementia, and outline the considerations that organizations can include in their social and physical environments in order to better support and include people living with dementia.

Dementia-Friendly Canada: Creating inclusive and supportive communities

March 31, 2021. Vimeo. This webinar provides more background on the Dementia-Friendly Canada project, detailing the work being done to create tools, education and programing that will allow for the development of dementia-friendly communities across the country.

Thank you to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

Financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada / Agence de la santé publique du Canada/

The Alzheimer Society of Canada welcomes the $940,000 investment in the ‘Dementia-Friendly Canada’ project under the Dementia Community Investment from the Government of Canada, administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The Society applauds the Government of Canada for recognizing the impact of dementia, as well as its commitment to creating more understanding and acceptance of dementia.

The views expressed on the Dementia-Friendly Canada webpages do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

What is dementia?

The term "dementia" doesn't actually refer to one, specific disease. Rather, it's an overall term for a set of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain.

Learn more
Senior man thinking pensively.

Using person-centred language

The Alzheimer Society has developed language guidelines for anyone who lives with, supports, or works with a person living with dementia or caregiver. These guidelines can help you promote consistent, respectful language around dementia.

Learn more
Person-centred language guidelines.

Meaningful engagement of people living with dementia

Meaningful engagement is a person-centred approach that encourages and invites people living with dementia to participate in an organization's work with purpose and interest. By practicing meaningful engagement, you can benefit from people living with dementia becoming more involved in your organization.

Learn more
Meaningful engagement of people with dementia.

Canada's national dementia strategy

On June 17, 2019, the Government of Canada released the country’s first-ever national dementia strategy: A Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Aspire. On this page, learn more about the strategy, what it means for Canadians and why it needs to be fully funded.

Learn more
Your guide to Canada's national dementia strategy.

Our Advisory Group of People with Lived Experience of Dementia

Our Advisory Group of People with Lived Experience of Dementia is a community of people who guide the Alzheimer Society of Canada. By drawing on their personal stories of living with or supporting people with dementia, our members can share their voices to change how dementia is understood and treated in Canada.

Learn more
Group of happy seniors in the park.

Reports on dementia

Understand dementia and its impact in Canada and around the world. Here you will find reports by the Alzheimer Society of Canada, other leading Canadian organizations, and international authorities.

Learn more
Teen girl embracing midlife woman as they look at content together on a tablet

Find your area’s Alzheimer Society

No matter where you live in Canada, there is an Alzheimer Society that you can be involved in. Your region’s group can help you with programs, services, education and resources tailored to your needs.

Learn more
Older man sits with laptop at kitchen table