Library CEO receives certificate in dementia friendly communities training

By Chris Drost

Sandra Barnes of the Alzheimer Society, Hastings Prince Edward, recently presented CEO and head librarian of the North Hastings Public Library, Kim McMunn, was with a Certificate of Participation for the Dementia Friendly Communities and Finding Your Way Training. Event coordinator at NHPL, Natalie Phillips, also completed the pilot project.

According to online resources at  https://alzheimer.ca/hpe/en/home, by the end of this decade it is anticipated that there will be almost one million people in Canada living with dementia. This is why training in building a dementia-friendly Canada is so important. The Dementia-Friendly Canada project is using a “person-first” approach to ensure all Canadians living with dementia feel valued and empowered, ensure all organizations are inclusive and accessible and that through awareness of dementia, changes can be made individually and as a society.

The goals of the Dementia-Friendly Canada project, of which McMunn and Phillips now have training, are to train the workforce using a mix of approaches across different cultural, geographical and other sectors, create awareness campaigns, practical tools and resources to promote and enable a better understanding of dementia and to use research methods for ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of community-based interventions. Tools, education and programming will be developed to help achieve these goals.

The Alzheimer website is a great resource for those dealing with dementia or their caregivers. The site includes videos on various stages of Alzheimer's, information on understanding the disease, how to handle challenging behaviour, symptoms, communication strategies, strategies for caring for someone at home, the power of music and much more.

North Hastings Library Board and staff all received copies of the tip sheets as refreshers from previous training to help them as they encounter individuals with dementia, whether at work, as a volunteer, or in their personal lives.

For more information on Dementia Friendly Communities, you can contact the Alzheimer Society or visit online at https://alzheimer.ca/hpe/en/home.