DEMENTIA VENTURES
TOOLS FOR ENGAGEMENT
Stakeholders everywhere in our society can foster resilience in loved ones who are experiencing cognitive difficulties. Everyone strives for social inclusion and recognition of their personhood, and people living with dementia and their caregivers are no exceptions.
WHAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS IN FOSTERING RESILIENCE?
Dementia Ventures aims to reach a broad range of stakeholders and provide community organizations with tools to engage effectively with people experiencing cognitive challenges.
Let’s give them more opportunities! And how?
Let the voices and experience of loved ones living with dementia inform the planning of meaningful activities that bring joy to everyone involved! You will find some amazing tools below to help you engage and make a difference.
POWERFUL WORDS
& APPROACHES
CONCISE RATIONALES FOR CHANGE
(I-CAARE) A Quick Guide To:
Approaches; PIECES of My Relationships (Guidelines, Questions, Family Supplement); Medicine Wheel: Preventing Dementia in Indigenous People by Aging Well; The Pathway of Dementia
Alzheimer Society of Canada
“By being more conscious of the language we use, we can avoid reducing individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias to a series of labels, symptoms or medical terms.”
Dementia Alliance International
Organizational philosophy:”Nothing about us, without us.” Approach conversations with and about people living with dementia using respectful language that does not stigmatize and demean. Media should reflect DAI's Core Beliefs.
Westside Seniors Hub, Vancouver, BC
Rationale for social engagement through the arts, credible evidence, and links to model programs that demonstrate how arts-based creative activities can have profound impacts on people at every stage of the dementia trajectory.
Taking Action Against Stigma and Discrimination Associated With Dementia
University of British Columbia, CIHR Action Research Project
“The purpose of this toolkit is to recognize and respond to this stigma and discrimination…designed by people with dementia to help others – including other people living with dementia, service providers, physicians, family members and friends – to address the challenges of stigma and discrimination.” Hear from the experts who live with dementia – what they experience, how they respond to stigma and discrimination as advocates for themselves and others, how they build skills and competence.
Powerful tools from people living with dementia with more being developed for support persons and researchers.
MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT
MJ Wosk Centre for Dialogue, SFU, Burnaby, BC
“It is important to consider how community members’ identities and experiences may impact their ability to learn about, access or participate safely in an engagement—and tailor plans to suit diverse needs.”
MJ Wosk Centre for Dialogue, SFU, Burnaby, BC
“Hearing from people with diverse lived experiences leads to more innovative ideas, better decisions, greater public support of outcomes…This guide is designed for individuals sponsoring or planning public engagement initiatives that will inform decision-making...outlines some factors practitioners can reflect on when scoping and designing engagement processes.”
PlanH, BC Healthy Communities
Featuring community examples, resources, strategies and other useful information, this guide helps local governments plan their community input process to ensure…equity-centred, inclusive community engagement…to create healthier, more accessible communities.
Alzheimer Society of BC
Specific resources for professionals who are in legal, financial, housing, and recreation professions…”to understand and recognize the signs of dementia…communicate in an effective, respectful way…think about specific ways they can support a person with dementia in their work and how their workplace may become more dementia friendly.…know what resources are available to them and their customers or clients.”
WA Dementia Action Collaborative
“Are you a parent, teacher or librarian who wants to help build dementia awareness and challenge stigma? Children’s books can be a great tool! The criteria below can help you evaluate children’s books and select ones that carry a respectful, stigma-busting message.”