SEARCH RESULTS

Check out the Events. SOUNDBYTES SERIES Hub Community Action That Builds Capacity The Dementia Ventures project empowers Hub Partners to build out inclusive community programming for all and adapt to include people living with dementia. They and their care partners want to remain socially engaged in meaningful activities. A collaboration with UBC’s Dr. Alison Phinney and her Building Capacity team offers financial, strategic and logistical resources so programs can welcome and support those with dementia and their care partners. We celebrated midway in this initiative with a series of vibrant online community dialogues. The theme was: “What it means to be an accepting and inclusive community.” SoundBytes wants to share wisdom from those dialogues. Here are our first nuggets. There will be many more! PAVING THE WAY FOR OTHERS WITH DEMENTIA BC-based Lynn Jackson is a retired nurse and highly active advocate for people living with dementia. She's a member of several action groups and continues to blaze a trail for others to live well and feel empowered living with dementia. Watch Full Event HERE A PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH TO DEMENTIA In a recent Dementia Dialogue podcast interview, BC artist and advocate Granville Johnson reminds us how crucial it is that people with dementia be involved in planning and decision making for initiatives that affect their lives. "Inclusion creates understanding, facilitates empathy, and shares love." For more on the importance of including and respecting people with dementia, please visit buildingcapacityproject.com and flippingstigma.com Watch Full Event HERE STRENGTH IN NUMBERS This excerpt from a new episode of Dementia Dialogue features UBC's Dr. Alison Phinney on overcoming barriers to community engagement for people living with dementia. Dr. Phinney discusses what she's learned through her extensive research, and how important it is to have a team. Joining her in discussion on the episode is Community Research Coordinator Dr. Andrea Monteiro and BC-based Lynn Jackson, a dementia advocate and retired nurse living with dementia who explains what's been most effective for her. Watch Full Event HERE THE BEAUTY OF INCLUSION Veteran dementia advocate and Thunder Bay resident Bill Heibein expresses his deep appreciation for the inclusive and warm nature of his local Dementia Cafe and its refreshing lack of labels. "No one asks who's who; they just welcome you in the door." Sounds pretty lovely to us! Watch Full Event HERE THE POWER IN THE WORDS WE USE When John's doctor made a joke out of his dementia, he was deeply hurt. It's these kinds of microaggressions that create the biggest barriers for people with dementia to live well. Words like these that silence people who really need to speak and share. Help us empower people with lived experience to know they're entitled to live their best life too. Watch Full Event HERE PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING BC-based artist and advocate Granville Johnson spoke out about fear and the power of our perspective on Dementia Dialogue's most recent podcast episode, addressing the ways we can choose to gain some sense of control and joy back into our lives even in the face of new challenges. Watch Full Event HERE WHAT HOLDS US BACK In the most recent podcast episode of Dementia Dialogue, Dr. Alison Phinney discusses the stigma attached to dementia diagnoses and how that impacts community support efforts. She speaks with host Lisa Loiselle and fellow podcast guest Granville Johnson, who lives with dementia himself, about the important balance to be struck between training and education on one hand, and engaging with people with lived experience on the other. Watch Full Event HERE TURNING TOWARDS THE PERSON WITH DEMENTIA Karen Rolston’s mother Louise started getting inklings something was a little “off” back in 2011. At the time, the Rolstons were already in the process of creating a laneway house on their property for her, so they could live close together. The timing worked out well. Louise lived there for seven years beside her daughter Karen, Karen’s husband, and their daughter. Those years were, “a beautiful opportunity for us to just wrap mom with more support and care while she was able to live in her own space,”Karen said. When Karen thinks about the journey she has been on with her mom, and the reactions from people when it comes to dementia, the word that comes to mind is fear. “People find out someone has dementia, and they think, ‘Am I going to receive this diagnosis too?’ ‘Is someone I love going to get dementia?’” Rolston said. Fear seeps in and too often, people pull away. “People often don’t know what to say or do, so they turn away from those with dementia instead of turning toward them with love,”Rolston said. Rolston is extremely grateful for community supports. Her mom really enjoyed the Alzheimer Society’s Minds in Motion program, the Alzheimer’s Café and the Helena choir she joined. “These community groups are where we felt really held,” she said. “It’s such a painful journey and there is still so much we can do.” In this Soundbyte, Rolston offers her thoughts on how to really tune into a person’s needs and meet them where they are, rather than seeing their responses as resistance or defiance. Loving and showing up for someone with dementia is about cherishing the now, embracing their world, and accepting what is. Watch Full Event HERE ANDRÉ PICARD ON THE MEDIA'S ROLE IN STAMPING OUT STIGMA Esteemed Globe and Mail Columnist André Picard wrote Neglected No More: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Canada’s Elders in the Wake of a Pandemic in 2021, a book that discusses what needs to change to shift the culture of long-term care across our country. “Picard reveals the full extent of the crisis in eldercare and offers an urgently needed prescription to fix a broken system and ensure long-term care homes are not warehouses of isolation and neglect” Penguin Random House states on their site. Care home COVID outbreaks seemed to be exploding in every region of the country at the time, drawing attention to the deplorable working conditions they had for employees, the resulting neglect residents experienced, and the total lack of support for the institutions in general. In this storyboard, Picard says media needs to highlight not just worst-case scenarios meant to shock and awe, but stories about people living quite well for a long time with dementia. Seeing more people with dementia in our day-to-day activities—including in the news— would normalize that experience as a way of reducing stigma. Lastly, he emphasized the importance of having people with dementia sit on boards and committees on which they get a real vote in the outcomes of important decisions. Watch Full Event HERE SUZUKI ELDERS Rob Dramer and Lilllian Ireland are self-identified elders who work with the Suzuki foundation mentoring and supporting other elders and younger generations in dialogue and action on environmental issues. They're also traveling performers who offer a multi-sensory show featuring songs they've written about biodiversity, interspersed with some familiar tunes to help audiences tap into earlier memories. Music elicits powerful connections, and they invite audience members to join in the fun alongside them and their collection of beautiful local animal puppets. Watch Full Event HERE POETRY Myrna Norman is an author, artist, and dementia advocate based in Maple Ridge. In 2009, when Norman was diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Dementia and given eight years to live, she went home ready to die. But after grieving this news for a couple of weeks, Norman decided to do what she’s best at: advocating for change. She became heavily involved in initiatives that let others in her situation know they weren’t alone. Thirteen years later, Norman’s passion, generosity of spirit, and charisma have touched so many lives. Her book, “Dementia Strategies, Tips and Personal Stories,” has become an indispensable voice of validation and support. Norman has participated in multi-year research studies, art-making groups and task forces including The Dementia Sisterhood, the Dementia Action Committee, Dementia Advocacy Canada, the Dementia Friendly Task Force, and now the Building Capacity Project to name just a few. She’s also collaborating with researchers and designers at Emily Carr University’s Health Design Lab to develop a series of workbooks geared at supporting researchers to engage in collaborative work with people with lived experience. And to all these roles, she brings her signature energy, compassion, and love for showing people their strength. Watch Full Event HERE BEACON *Shining Light on Dementia A dedicated group of congregation members at Pacific Spirit United Church worked together over the course of a year to create an incredible and insightful four-part series on dementia that you can access online. They had noticed church members struggling with cognitive decline and family members worried about finding extra care, so they dove in to offer support. Their commitment to fostering a dementia friendly culture at their church has since inspired many other groups to take action too. For more details go to www.pacificspiritc.com and click on "ministries". The series is under "Beacon *shinning light on dementia." Watch Full Event HERE LET'S TALK ABOUT DEMENTIA The Flipping Stigma Toolkit The Flipping Stigma Toolkit is a project where a group of people diagnosed with dementia partnered with a research team to develop an online toolkit. This Action Group, funded by a research grant from the Canadian Institute of Health and Research, co-designed the toolkit to help people with dementia recognize and respond to stigma and discrimination -and to help others better understand ho to be supportive-. The Goa? Flip that fear on its ear. To learn more visit www.flippingstigma.com Watch Full Event HERE EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY'S HEALTH DESIGN LAB Researchers and designers at Emily Carr University’s Health Design Lab use participatory design methods to catalyze, support and amplify initiatives addressing complex health challenges like dementia. “We use design methods to help engage people with dementia in initiatives that directly impact their lives,” said Lab Director Caylee Raber. The team’s current project is called Collaborate, Gather, Share—a workbook series co-designed by people with lived experience to help drive reflection around how they can be brought into research projects and how best to support those collaborations, recognizing people with dementia as experts. Their recent video, “Perspectives,” paired design students with long-term care residents. They co-designed and co-wrote mini publications featuring residents’ stories. Students developed creative games and activities to help draw out residents’ stories that they then captured in zines and mini-books, some even embroidered on quilts. Lastly, the team worked with Vancouver Coastal Health for four years on a project focused on shifting the culture of care in long-term facilities. All the Lab’s work focuses on how researchers and designers can use their skills and expertise to build upon work already being done—facilitating creative expression and self advocacy for people with dementia and getting those messages out to the world. Watch Full Event HERE REPRESENTATION MATTERS Author, artist, and dementia advocate Myrna Norman runs a peer support group for others with dementia in her lower mainland community called the Purple Angels Memory Café. The group meets four times a month, and sometimes outdoors in summer when the weather is beautiful. Every second week, it’s the Army and Navy Club for a beer and live music. Members take turns bringing refreshments and treats and have fundraised up to $300 to put towards games and activities they can play together. The group is a wonderful way to connect with others, share similar experiences, and gain support and a powerful sense of belonging. The best part? Membership is free. “The gift [members] give to me is so much more than could ever be paid,” said Norman. One new member who joined a couple of weeks ago turned to Myrna as he was leaving the Army and Navy Club and said, “Myrna, I feel different now. The music touched something inside of me.” “I still get the shivers thinking about it,” Norman said of the comment. It’s revelations like this one that drew her to this work. For more information or to check out the Purple Angels sometime, email Myrna Norman at: the.normans@shaw.ca Watch Full Event HERE THE POWER OF SUPPORT FROM OUR FAITH & CULTURE GROUPS Reverend Deborah Laing has been a minister in the United Church of Canada for 37 years, the last four at Pacific Spirit United Church in Kerrisdale. She's seen how good communities gather around people in both their joys and troubles, contributing immensely to their quality of life. She also served as chaplain at a rural hospital and learned so much from nurses and program staff there about support, respect and care for people with dementia. Watch Full Event HERE RESPONDING TO DEMENTIA THROUGH A CROSS-CULTURAL LENS One Vancouver man who has been advocating for the treatment and care of people with dementia ever since his dementia diagnosis over a decade ago, discusses how dementia is viewed through various cultural lenses. He explains how those lenses affect families' and individual's responses to diagnosis and decisions around treatment. Watch Full Event HERE TRUSTING OUR SENSE OF SELF ABOVE ALL ELSE BC artist and dementia advocate Granville Johnson talks about the importance of trusting one's sense of self above all else when living with dementia. "The world might not know we're capable, but we can know it and live it and continue to pursue our dreams." Johnson lives in remote part of British Columbia where he's currently working on a novel. Watch Full Event HERE ON BRAVERY AND THE POWER OF SHARING OUR STORY When Lester was first diagnosed with dementia, he and his wife and care partner Cindy found that some of their friends and family reacted with disbelief. Others weren't sure how to talk to him. Sharing the Flipping Stigma toolkit with their church and social communities gave the couple a chance to contextualize dementia for those who didn't know much about it. The toolkit allayed fears, provided reassurance, and ultimately resulted in Lester AND Cindy feeling they could open up more about his diagnosis, feel less shame, and share more of their journey with the people they cared about. The toolkit helped them feel much more deeply understood. Watch Full Event HERE HOW FOCUSING ON A PURPOSE BUILDS RESILIENCE Bill Heibein continues to live on the farm he shared with his late wife Heather just outside Kakabeka Falls, Ontario. When he was diagnosed with dementia in 2000, doctors told him he'd have about five more years to live "usefully". Twenty-two years later, he has proven them wrong. In addition to caring for his horses, Bill volunteers as an advocate with the Northwest Dementia Working Group, helps run Dementia Cafes in the community, and is passionate about encouraging others with lived experience to get involved, advocate for themselves, and find purpose. Bill says it's that deep sense of purpose that's fuelled his ability to thrive with dementia for so long, and he's confident others can do the same. Watch Full Event HERE MAPPING DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY CULTURE When COVID-19 threatened to halt all their efforts in their tracks, Andrea Sara and her team found was to move online, gather virtually, solve problems, and dream big anyway. They worried for seniors who'd been hit particularly hard by increased isolation and wanted to ensure everyone in their community felt seen and supported. So, they went outside. They sought out "soothing spaces" where they could "feel safe socializing". That's how the Fireweed Club came to be. These days the DRA has its hand in so many wonderful initiatives, all which support inclusion, environmental awareness, and social engagement. Watch Full Event HERE ON THE VALUE OF INTERGENERATIONAL CONNECTION Dementia Educator and community advocate Helen Murphy has dedicated her career to making the North Shore and surrounding communities more dementia-friendly. She provides training for North Shore organizations, speaks to community groups, and volunteers in developing new programs and opportunities for people with dementia to live better lives in a community that is "wise, inclusive and socially integrated". Watch Full Event HERE THE NEED FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA IN ADVOCACY ROLES The Building Capacity Project team in Thunder Bay, Ontario partners with the Northwest Dementia Working Group on a number of fantastic community initiatives. The team is very grateful to the NWDWG members who have volunteered to help run some of their Dementia Cafes over the years, for instance, as these cafes are a great opportunity for people in the community to witness for themselves how important representation is, how much capacity there is among people with lived experience, and to be a apart of breaking down stigma. . CARE PARTNERS EMPOWERING PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA Lynn Jackson is an action group member with lived experience who played a key role in developing the Flipping Stigma Toolkit, a new online resource helping educate caregivers, people with lived experience, researchers, and the public at large about how to respond to stigma around dementia. Jackson talks about how important it is for care partners to empower people with dementia to stay engaged and active. Fostering autonomy while supporting someone with dementia works to maintain their sense of personhood. Treating them like they're sick makes them feel that way. Watch Full Event HERE AMPLIFYING DIVERSE VOICES: THE VALUE OF LIVED EXPERIENCE Dr. Elaine Wiersma of the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University talks about the need to amplify a wider cross section of voices when it comes to the lived experience of people with dementia. If our exposure of these experiences stays too narrow, we run the risk of silencing important wisdoms, staying uninformed as to the broad range of experiences, and keeping devastating stigmas alive. . ART AS A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE Art is a powerful vehicle for shifting perceptions and shaping culture. AND it's one way of letting your voice be heard when the words themselves might be too hard to say. Whether it's a poem, a collage, a painting, or a dance, the arts can be incredibly helpful and moving for people with dementia at all stages of their journey, and can help the public gain insight into their experience. .

Check out the reports and Data. Enter site. Top of Reports & Data Rapports et données ALZHEIMER ASSOCIATION USA AA provides progress in promising research and treatments for all types of dementia. There are links to clinical studies underway and recruiting participants whether experiencing memory loss or supporting those who are. Research progress here BUILDING CAPACITY FOR MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION BY PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA (UBC-Lakehead Universities, WSH, NWDWG 2020) “Project aims to enhance and promote opportunities for people living with dementia, including dedicated and inclusive physical and social activities that account for the interests and needs of people living with dementia…fosters connections in community and the growth of initiatives based on community capacity and interest.” Information here CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA (Alzheimer Society of Canada 2019) “The Charter defines seven explicit rights to empower you to self-advocate as a person living with dementia in Canada…ensures that the people and organizations that support you will know and protect your rights.” Right #4: “To access support so that I can live as independently as possible and be as engaged as possible in my community.”
 Information here THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA: FROM RHETORIC TO REALTY (Dementia Alliance International 2016) “A basic introduction to Human-Rights Based Approaches (HBRAs) – a UN approved system, which has been applied across all sectors… focuses on ways in which the Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) can be used to promote the well-being and quality of life of people living with dementia.” Information here A DEMENTIA STRATEGY FOR CANADA: TOGETHER WE ASPIRE (Public Health Agency of Canada 2019) “It is possible to live well and achieve quality of life at all stages of dementia through compassionate diagnosis, connection to support systems, increased awareness of dementia among all Canadians and reduced financial hardship for those living with dementia and their caregivers.” Information here Return to top DEVELOPING CULTURALLY GROUNDED DEMENTIA EDUCATION MATERIALS FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY-BASED CARE (Jacklin & Blind 2018) "ICARE investigators and research staff worked closely with our community advisory members and Tribal Leadership to develop" a suite of tools: Dementia in Indigenous Populations ; 
Underlying Frameworks: Cultural Safety & Two-Eyed Seeing ; 
Indigenous Understandings of Memory Loss & Aging ; 
Fact Sheets ; Dementia Care for Indigenous People and their Families. Information here ADDRESSING STIGMA: TOWARDS A MORE INCLUSIVE HEALTH SYSTEM 
(Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, 2019) “Stigma is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes …and cannot be understood or treated separately from stigma related to other characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and income…We can stop using dehumanizing language, examine our own assumptions, and implement policies and education programs, while also measuring our progress towards stigma elimination.” Information here RISK REDUCTION OF COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEMENTIA (WHO 2021) “Guidelines for risk reduction…provide evidence-based recommendations on lifestyle behaviours and interventions to delay or prevent cognitive decline and dementia.” Information here WORLD ALZHEIMER REPORT 2019: ATTITUDES TO DEMENTIA (Alzheimer’s Disease International, ADI) ADI’s 2019 global survey of attitudes to dementia and recommendations “to take action, to improve awareness, to help dispel lingering myths around dementia and ultimately aim to reduce or even eradicate stigma.” Information here VIRTUAL CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS DURING THE COVID-19 ERA AND BEYOND (Canadian Medical Association Journal, March 15, 2021) Virtual visits have unique challenges but can potentially improve access to health care for those experiencing dementia. Evidence demonstrates that videoteleconferencing can be useful in assessment, planning, and management of a diagnosis. There is much research underway to overcome barriers and adapt modalities for direct-to-home care. Information here Back to Resources - Dementia Ventures

New Grant Opportunities 2024 November 15 We are not aware of any Grants that are currently available. As we learn of new Grants, we will post them here. Please return to see any new Grants. To learn more about past Grant Opportunities click Past Grant Opportunities

We provide selected resources here for Dementia Ventures, since that is the Hub's focus in 2020-2023. Enter site for more information. We'd love to know what you think! Name Your email address What two or three words come to mind when viewing this image? How does this image impact the way you think about Dementia? Would you like to know more about Dementia? Yes No Not sure SUBMIT

HOUSING FOR SENIORS Top of Housing for Seniors Affordable rentals are currently difficult to find in Vancouver. When their tenancy is threatened or ended, many elderly tenants on fixed incomes are unable to relocate anywhere near their former homes, even temporarily. New buildings, even those with a percentage of below-market rental units, are not yet ready for tenants. What are Westside Seniors Hub members doing about housing for seniors? Recent updates listed first . December 2024 WSH Partner representatives and Council members followed up on our August meeting with Vancouver–South Granville MLA Brenda Bailey to develop a Letter of Support for expansion of the Seniors Services Society of BC’s Seniors Housing Information and Navigation Ease (SHINE) program. The Letter to Minister Bailey recommends 2025 and ongoing funding by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to ensure more British Columbian seniors experiencing precarious housing get navigation support, so their health and wellbeing do not deteriorate while suitable affordable housing is being developed. November 2024 Two WSH Council members participating in the City’s Older Persons and Elders Advisory Committee (OPEAC) Housing Subcommittee were privileged to attend the BC Non-profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) Housing Central conference, thanks to arrangements made by SPARC BC CEO and BCNPHA staff. The annual conference features success stories of how non-profit housing providers, municipalities and businesses have overcome challenges and developed diverse solutions to affordable housing dilemmas. The free BCNPHA e- newsletter and website provide case studies and insights for continuing WSH housing activities. October 2024 Council invited WSH Partners to participate in feedback on the City’s Social Housing Initiative and representatives attended SHI Open House consultations to speak with Planners September 2024 VCH Population Health facilitated contacting the City of Vancouver’s Assistant Director Housing Policy and Regulation | Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability to discuss implementation of the City’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy developed in conjunction with its Broadway Plan and Housing Vancouver 10 Year Housing Targets . Meeting time pending. Council representatives attended United Way BC webinar Making Rental Housing Affordable for Seniors and People with Low-Incomes and benefit from summaries of data and research in its two Fact Sheets – Key Messages and Defining the Problem and Finding Solutions . August 2024 Council representatives met with Brenda Bailey, MLA and candidate for a new Vancouver-South Granville riding to discuss issues in the WSH Briefing Note on Seniors Housing and potential actions. Council representatives met with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Medical Health Officer (Housing), ED Population Health, and the Lead for Seniors’ Healthy Public Policy to discuss their roles and current involvement in seniors’ housing issues relevant to WSH Briefing Note on Seniors Housing . Council prepared a Briefing Note on Seniors Housing summarizing concerns about senior tenants being negatively impacted by developments in the Vancouver housing market and the actions and support needed for this vulnerable population. Council representatives met the BC Housing’s Assoc. VP Supportive Housing & Homelessness, Operations Division to discuss potential short-term shelter spaces in Chalmers Lodge and other supportive housing operated by BCH. Advocated for westside seniors experiencing housing precarity to remain in their neighbourhoods while seeking more stable housing. July 2024 Council representatives contributed to City's Older Persons and Elders Advisory Committee (OPEAC) Housing Subcommittee drafts of Motions to City Council regarding the need for senior-specific shelters and transparency regarding implementation of the Broadway Plan's Enhanced Tenant Relocation & Protection Policy . Encouraged WSH Partners to advocate with City of Vancouver Councillors for adoption of the Seniors Housing Strategy . June 2024 Council members began attending monthly OPEAC Housing Subcommittee meetings as guests to become familiar with their community partners and contribute to their action plans. Representatives from a dozen WSH Partner organizations met at a quarterly Partners’ meeting to discuss five Seniors’ Housing Issues for Action: Follow-up to 2024 Q1 Partners’ Meeting . Council member attended 411 Housing Forum to liaise with other local housing advocates. May 2024 Council members explored Seniors Services Society of BC’s (SSSBC’s) Seniors Housing Information & Navigation Ease (SHINE) program with WESN’s Housing Navigator. Recruited a volunteer to participate in SHINE’s four online training sessions. April 2024 The City of Vancouver’s D raft Seniors’ Housing Strategy was released for public feedback. P ublic and WSH Partners invited to participate in submitting comments by May 16th. March 2024 Council prepared a resource list: Housing Resources Referenced at Quarterly Housing meeting Brief summary: Seniors Housing Issues for Action: Follow-up to 2024 Q1 Partners’ Meeting February 21, 2024 Representatives from a dozen WSH Partner organizations met at a Quarterly Partners’ meeting to discuss seniors’ housing affordability . They were joined by guests from the City of Vancouver, City’s Older Persons & Elders Advisory Committee, Healthy Aging United Way BC, Hey Neighbour Collective & SFU Housing Solutions Lab, Premier’s Legislative Office, Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, and South Vancouver Seniors Network. Presentations at Quarterly meeting: Healthy Aging UWBC presentation by Dr. Laura Kadowaki and Dr. Beverley Pitman City of Vancouver Older Persons & Elders Advisory Committee (OPEAC) by Dr. Marc White SFU Housing Solutions Lab Exploring Housing Options for Older Adults Design concepts by Michelle Hoar February 2024 Council prepared some briefing materials to inform WSH Partners: Selected Housing Navigation Supports & Trainings and Selected Recommendations from UWBC’s Aging in Uncertainty: The Growing Housing Crisis for BC Seniors report (Nov 2023) & IRPP’s Affordability Action Council report (Feb 2024) Entire UWBC Healthy Aging report Aging in Uncertainty and City of Vancouver Seniors’ Housing Strategy: What We Heard report (July 2023) January 2024 A questionnaire circulated by WSH Council to its Partner Organizations produced: A Snapshot: What Partner Organizations are Seeing, Hearing and Doing. Fall 2023 Survey of Hub Partner Organizations identified top priority issues of concern: Housing, Food Security, Phase 2 Dementia Ventures, Caregiver Support, Emergency Preparedness. Return to Top of Housing for Seniors

Enter site to learn more. Guides pour la programmation inclusive CLICK in the links below REAWAKENING THE MIND Dirigés par les seniors: L e Hub est dirigé par des personnes âgées afin de mieux répondre aux besoins des personnes âgées. Il favorise un processus de vieillissement en bonne santé, reconnaissant que plusieurs générations et cohortes ont besoin de différentes activités et soutiens. Les aînés fournissent des conseils sur l'amélioration de l'accessibilité des programmes pour aînés et la prise en compte de la diversité des intérêts des aînés. SHARING MEMORIES: REMINISCENCE ACTIVITIES (Lee County Library System, Florida) Programs that find meaning in memories, storytelling, letter writing, community conversations and tips for success in engagement. HOW-TO GUIDES FOR WALKING GROUPS AND CAFÉS Dirigés par les seniors: L e Hub est dirigé par des personnes âgées afin de mieux répondre aux besoins des personnes âgées. Il favorise un processus de vieillissement en bonne santé, reconnaissant que plusieurs générations et cohortes ont besoin de différentes activités et soutiens. Les aînés fournissent des conseils sur l'amélioration de l'accessibilité des programmes pour aînés et la prise en compte de la diversité des intérêts des aînés. COMMUNITY-ENGAGED ARTS PRACTICE WITH SENIORS: A STARTUP GUIDE (Arts and Health, Canada) “Community-engaged arts programs promote the health, well-being and social inclusion of older adults…address the gap between the existing supports available for well seniors in recreation facilities and those for very frail seniors…provide a forum for exploration, imagination, and communication that can transform individual lives and profoundly impact community life.” DEMENTIA PROGRAMS Dirigés par les seniors: L e Hub est dirigé par des personnes âgées afin de mieux répondre aux besoins des personnes âgées. Il favorise un processus de vieillissement en bonne santé, reconnaissant que plusieurs générations et cohortes ont besoin de différentes activités et soutiens. Les aînés fournissent des conseils sur l'amélioration de l'accessibilité des programmes pour aînés et la prise en compte de la diversité des intérêts des aînés. SOCIAL ISOLATION OF SENIORS: IDEAS EXCHANGE EVENT TOOLKIT “Toolkit is meant to help people and organizations host effective meetings to exchange ideas and respond to the social isolation of seniors in their communities. It contains tools, templates and support resources for hosting an ideas exchange event.” Back to Resources - Dementia Ventures

Collective action by and for seniors to build a more responsive and resilient community for seniors on the Westside of Vancouver, BC. LATEST NEWS DUNBAR SENIORS' CAFE St. Philip's Anglican Church Join us at the Dunbar Seniors' Cafe for lively conversations and friendship. Hostesses Janet Brown, Sheryl Mackay, and Judy Poliquin provide. October 15th from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Read More GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR TENANT COMPLAINS IN BC HOUSING BC Housing BC Housing has introduced new guiding principles to improve tenant experiences and complaint resolution among non-profit housing providers. These principles provide insights into tenant feedback and highlight areas for service enhancement. Read More VANCOUVER'S SENIORS HOUSING INITIATIVE City of Vancouver - Shape your City The City of Vancouver is launching the Social Housing Initiative to address affordable housing needs by modifying zoning regulations for mixed-income social, supportive, and cooperative housing without requiring rezoning. Read More FORGOTTEN RIGHTS - SENIORS NOT AFFORDED EQUAL RENT PROTECTION Office of the Seniors Advocate British Columbia “Approximately 30,000 seniors live in independent living units throughout B.C., and they should be afforded the same protections as other renters …". Read More GRANT OPPORTUNITIES Welcome to our Grant Opportunities section for senior organizations! Here, you'll find essential information about grants to support programs and services for seniors. Explore these opportunities to empower organization and make a positive impact in the community! VCH’s One-Time-Only Health Promotion and Capacity Building Project Grants (OTO) are for projects that are one-time-only in nature and intent, and that lead to greater equity in wellness by building on a community’s social, environmental, cultural, and economic foundations. Read more Funding for not-for-profit organizations, registered charities, and Indigenous partners. Funds help to plan, undertake and share research related to affordable housing in Canada. tage 1 applications must be submitted by September 27, 2024, at 2 p.m. Read more The goal of the PlanH Program is to support Indigenous and local governments, including health authorities, to advance policies, and strategies aimed at improving health equity, and well-being. Read more

We provide selected resources here for Dementia Ventures, since that is the Hub's focus in 2020-2023. Enter site for more information. RESOURCES We also provide selected resources here for Dementia Ventures , since that was the Hub's principal focus in 2019-2023. An extension of Building Capacity project funding enables some Hub Partners to deepen their projects 2023-2025. Understanding & living with dementia Guides for inclusive Programming Tools for Engagement Research Reports & Data

If you are a professional involved in administering programs or providing direct personal care for people experiencing cognitive decline, your role is critical in fostering their inclusion in activities. You facilitate providing diverse opportunities so everyone can remain meaningfully engaged in community life and no one gets excluded. PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH SENIORS YOU can help offer diverse & inclusive activities foster action to combat stigma adapt programs to be inclusive & supportive align policies & technologies for more opportunities increase transportation access If you are a professional involved in administering programs or providing direct personal care for people experiencing cognitive decline, your role is critical in fostering their inclusion in activities. You facilitate providing diverse opportunities so everyone can remain meaningfully engaged in community life and no one gets excluded. Hub Partners would like to hear from you! Visit the Current Hub Partner Projects page to see which project is most attractive and contact the Partner sponsoring it.

Dementia Ventures… Renforcement des capacités Dementia Ventures crée des occasions communautaires significatives pour les personnes atteintes de démence de rester actives et engagées. Veuillez participer à la création d'une communauté plus inclusive et à l' augmentation de la citoyenneté sociale pour les personnes atteintes de démence . Dementia Ventures renforce la capacité de la communauté à inclure les personnes atteintes de démence dans des activités significatives! Les organisations partenaires du Westside Seniors Hub travaillent à adapter les programmes actuels et à créer de nouveaux programmes inclusifs et permettant aux personnes atteintes de démence de socialiser en fonction de leurs intérêts. Vivre avec la démence implique de poursuivre ses passions! Les communautés qui offrent diverses possibilités démontrent que les gens peuvent rester des contributeurs dynamiques à la vie communautaire bien au-delà d'un diagnostic de démence. Envie de vous impliquer? Si oui, êtes-vous? éprouver des difficultés cognitives un partenaire de soins un chef de programme un professionnel travaillant avec des seniors un bénévole motivé Vous pouvez aider les organisations partenaires du Hub à développer des activités artistiques , sociales , de fitness et de bénévolat attrayantes et durables. Les partenaires du Hub veulent que les personnes atteintes de démence et leurs partenaires de soins expriment leurs besoins et leurs désirs. Les partenaires ont également besoin de l'aide de responsables de programme, de bénévoles motivés et de professionnels travaillant avec des personnes âgées. S'il vous plaît Impliquez-vous ! L a vue d'ensemble… Action collective des aînés et de leurs partenaires de soins De 2019 à 2023, le Westside Seniors Hub se concentre sur Démence en collaboration avec le Université de la Colombie-Britannique et Université Lakehead à Thunder Bay, Ontario. L'Agence de la santé publique du Canada finance le projet-cadre intitulé Renforcer les capacités pour une participation significative des personnes atteintes de démence . Il s'agit de l'un des premiers projets de recherche communautaires financés dans le cadre d'un plan global de l'Agence de 2019: Une stratégie sur la démence pour le Canada . Dementia Ventures is building community capacity to include people living with dementia and their care partners in meaningful activities! When communities provide diverse opportunities for these people to engage, they can remain vibrant contributors to community life well beyond a dementia diagnosis. Living with dementia shall include pursuing one’s passions! Dementia Ventures invites you to get involved in creating a more inclusive community and increasing social citizenship for people living with dementia. Join us in adapting current programs or creating new ones that are inclusive and enable people living with dementia to socialize according to their interests. Westside Seniors Hub Partner Organizations have a variety of opportunities underway to be more inclusive. Join any of our current projects described here . There are opportunities for anyone to help make communities more dementia-friendly. Get Involved Current Hub Partners Projects SoundBytes Series Fireweed Club News & Events Resources WE NEED DIVERSE PARTNERS TO HELP BUILD CAPACITY FOR GREATER INCLUSION! Everyone's skills and experiences can make a difference. Perhaps you are experiencing cognitive difficulties a care partner a program leader a professional working with seniors a motivated volunteer YOU can assist Hub Partner Organizations develop appealing and sustainable arts , social , fitness and volunteer activities. Hub Partners want people living with dementia and their care partners to express their needs and desires. Partners also need the assistance of program leaders, motivated volunteers, and professionals working with seniors. THE BIGGER PICTURE... COLLECTIVE ACTION BY ELDERS AND THEIR CARE PARTNERS From 2019-2023, the Westside Seniors Hub is focusing on Dementia Ventures in collaboration with the University of British Columbia and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Find out more about the UBC and Lakehead University research team members here . The Public Health Agency of Canada is funding the umbrella project called Building Capacity for Meaningful Participation by People Living With Dementia . It is one of the first community-based research projects funded under a 2019 Agency comprehensive plan: A Dementia Strategy for Canada .

You are invited to help. Visit the Current Hub Partner Projects page to see which project is most attractive and contact the Partner sponsoring it, and consult the Opportunities page where Hub Partner Organizations advertise their most immediate needs. PERSON LIVING WITH DEMENTIA You are invited to help: suggest & plan appealing activity options shape what ongoing social citizenship looks like build new attitudes within your community sustain your quality of life Hub Partners need to hear from you! Please: visit the Current Hub Partner Projects page to see which project is most attractive and contact the Partner sponsoring it.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES Westside Seniors Hub Coordinator Join us to assist WSH leadership in the coordination and outreach to Westside stakeholders on seniors’ issues. Council is seeking a The Council Coordinator for a new 14 hours per week position to assist WSH leadership in coordination and outreach to Westside stakeholders on seniors’ issues. We are looking for a self-motivated individual with an interest in seniors’ issues. Details in the job description here . Please apply by May 13, 2024. Westside Seniors Hub Council Join the Council's Volunteer Team Council members: We are recruiting volunteers to join us and ensure that Westside neighbourhoods are places where seniors can thrive. To find out more about the role of Council in Hub affairs, click he re . For more details about a Council member's role, please click here Digital Communications Assistant: One or two people to assist with publishing the Hub's quarterly newsletter, Hub Bytes, and/or with maintaining the Hub's website up to date. More details here Family Caregivers of BC Join FCBC's Volunteer Team Support Group Facilitators: Seeking volunteers to create a safe and open space for caregivers to share their concerns and challenges. Facilitators are people with strong listening skills, discretion, empathy and ability to empower individuals to be involved in making decisions about their own care. Host and Virtual Assistant: For our Virtual Journal Workshop for Caregivers...an ongoing program offered to to caregivers who are interested in engaging in structured writing that is private and self-reflective...You would provide technical online support to the facilitator and participants . Caregiver Support Assistant: L ooking for two Caregiver Support Assistants to provide administration support to our caregiver support team at FCBC...use your technical skills to assist with general office duties, filing, emails, help with communication and outreach. More details and application forms here ASK Friendship Society CALLS for VOLUNTEERS Board Members: ASK is growing! Help lead and manage that process, we are looking to fill 2-4 Board positions with committed individuals who have experience in human resources, administration, fundraising, etc. Youth & student opportunities too, More details and application forms here

Westside Seniors Hub Notre organisation Dementia Ventures ... Renforcement des capacités Être impliqué Dementia Ventures…Building Capacity ​ Dementia Ventures is creating community opportunities for people living with dementia to remain active and engaged. Hub goals for people living with dementia: create a more inclusive community and increase social citizenship . Living with dementia must include pursuing one’s passions! Communities that provide diverse opportunities demonstrate that people can remain vibrant contributors to community life well beyond a dementia diagnosis. Dementia Ventures is building capacity for the inclusion of people with dementia in meaningful activities! Westside Seniors Hub Partner Organizations are adapting current programs and creating new programs that are inclusive and motivate people living with dementia to socialize according to their interests. Want to get involved? If so, are you? experiencing cognitive difficulties / care partner / program leader / professional /motivated volunteer ​ You can assist Hub Partner Organizations develop appealing and sustainable arts , social , fitness and volunteer activities. Hub Partners want people living with dementia and their care partners to express their needs and desires. Partners also need program leaders, motivated volunteers, and professionals working with seniors to assist. Please Get Involved ! ​ The bigger picture…Collective action by elders and their care partners ​ From 2019-2022, the Westside Seniors Hub is focusing on Dementia Ventures in collaboration with the University of British Columbia and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. ​ The umbrella project for both sites is Building Capacity for Meaningful Participation by People Living with Dementia funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Get Involved Current Hub Partner Projects