Dementia Friends
Dementia Friends is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act and talk about dementia, developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom. Tempe was named as a dementia friendly city at the White House conference on aging in June 2015. Work for Dementia Friendly Tempe officially began in March 2016. As part of the initiative, the program works to help everyone in a community understand what dementia is and how it affects people, each of us can make a difference in the lives of people touched by dementia in a meaningful way.
On Sept. 17, 2019, the City of Surprise issued a proclamation making the Northwest Valley community Arizona's second Dementia Friendly community. Now as Dementia Friendly Surprise, the city will partner with community experts in aging and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Supporting organizations will collaborate to provide a free Memory Café and community events geared toward educating the community to raise awareness of the disease, lower stigma and improve support for Northwest Valley families living with dementia.
Dementia Friends seeks to change people’s perceptions of dementia by transforming how we think, talk and act about the disease. It’s a big project that asks for a small commitment, one hour of your time. You will learn the critical aspects to better understand dementia, how it affects people and how we each can make a difference in the lives of people living with dementia. Learn five key messages about dementia, common types and turn understanding into action.
A Dementia Friend can participate in a Champions Training in order to help spread the word by providing 1-hour sessions to family, friends and contacts within their community networks to help people understand how they can make a difference in the lives of people and families living with dementia.
Memory Café
Memory Café provides a social and resource place for people living with memory loss and their care partners. Caregivers participate in an education/support session while people with memory loss actively participate in a cognitive engagement program. The program is free of charge and no reservations are required.
Learn more about Tempe's Memory Café.
Learn more about Surprise's Memory Café.