News & Notices
On April 10, 2019 Michael O’Keeffe from Moira Place Long Term Care Facility and Deborah Hierlihy with the Alzheimer Society of Hastings – Prince Edward attended a Council Meeting and presented their vision for a Dementia Friendly Tweed. At the May 29, 2019 Council Meeting it was resolved that the Municipality of Tweed would support their vision for a Dementia Friendly Tweed.
Around the same time the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility opened the Seniors Community Grant Program. It was decided that a grant application would be submitted to help with the Municipality of Tweed’s proposed actions for a Dementia Friendly Tweed. We were very fortunate that our grant application was approved. The Municipality of Tweed, partnering with the Alzheimer Society and other community partners, will help to:
- Promote understanding and awareness;
- Help people with dementia feel safe and supported;
- Help businesses meet the needs of individuals living with memory loss;
- Increase the skills and confidence of staff and the community interacting with dementia; and
- Identify and promote organizations that have adapted Dementia Friendly concepts.
This will be accomplished in three steps:
- Work with the Alzheimer Society to provide Dementia Training to municipal staff & Council members, local businesses, service groups, event organizers, churches, and residents. Our municipal training is scheduled for the end of January, and all other sessions will be held in February. Each business/service group/event etc. will receive a Dementia Friendly Tweed Decal to show that they have completed the training and are equipped with the skills necessary to have positive interactions with a person with Dementia or their caregiver.
- Create videos that can be used for social media awareness campaigns, posted on our website; and shared with the Alzheimer Society to be used in training sessions. We will be working closely with the Alzheimer Society to identify the topics to cover in these videos.
- Awareness & Education Campaign. Once completed the videos will be shared with our community members living with dementia and their caregivers, and the community to open the dialogue and start to remove the stigma attached to aging and dementia. We also plan to work with the Tweed Public Library to assemble Cognitive Care Kits that can be checked out by caregivers or family members of a person living with Dementia. The goal of the kits is to help support the skills and abilities of persons living with early, mid or late stages of Dementia.
The Municipality of Tweed is excited to be on the path to becoming more Dementia Friendly.
Join Us Thursday February 20th 9 am - 1 pm at Stoco Lake Lodge for a Dementia Information and Training Session. For more information or to RSVP contact Jennifer Genereaux at 613-478-2535 or email jenniferg@tweed.ca .
