JUNE SPECIAL FEATURE
Become a Dementia Friend to Support Your Community
The summer solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer and is the longest day of the year. It will occur on Thursday, June 20, 2024. The Alzheimer’s Association recognizes this as The Longest Day® with the most light and hosts many activities to shine light on the darkness of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
For The Longest Day®, Dementia Friendly Illinois is launching a Dementia Friends Campaign to encourage as many individuals as possible to become Dementia Friends. Currently, there are 160,000 Dementia Friends throughout the United States, and over 11,600 Dementia Friends in Illinois.
ECIAAA and Illinois Cognitive Resource Network (ICRN) need your help to inspire others to learn more about dementia and how they can help those living with it in their communities. Dementia Friends USA is part of a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia. Anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend.
Dementia Friend training includes a series of short on-line videos or attending an in-person session, learns about what it is like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action. People with dementia sometimes need a helping hand to go about their daily lives and feel included in their local community. To provide this helping hand, Dementia Friends aims to give people an understanding of dementia and the small things that they can do to make a difference. We all have a part to play in creating dementia friendly communities and every action counts!
The Dementia Friends program focuses on five key messages that we believe everyone should know about dementia:
- Dementia is not a natural part of aging.
- Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain.
- It is not just about losing your memory.
- It is possible to live well with dementia.
- There is more to the person than dementia.
To become a dementia friend on-line, go to https://ilbrainhealth.org/dementia-friendly/dementia-friends-illinois/.
If interested in scheduling an in-person Dementia Friends group training and/or starting a Dementia Friendly America community (https://dfamerica.org/), contact Kathryn Johnson, ECIAAA Community Liaison at (309) 829-2065 ext. 1223.