Alzheimer Society Recognizes Thames Centre as Supporter of Dementia Friendly Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alzheimer Society Recognizes Thames Centre
as Supporter of Dementia Friendly Communities

Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners Presents Municipality with Decal to Recognize Staff Accomplishment

THAMES CENTRE – This week the Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners (AlzSWP) presented Thames Centre with a decal to recognize the Municipality as a Dementia Friendly Community Supporter.

AlzSWP defines a Dementia Friendly Community as a place where people living with dementia and their care partners are welcomed, included and supported. It is a community that pays attention to the social and physical needs of the person living with dementia.

Participation in the program was a recommendation of the Municipality’s Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee (AIAC).

“As communities get older, more and more people become susceptible to memory issues and disorders,” notes Deputy Mayor Michelle Smibert, who chairs the AIAC, and accepted the decal on behalf of Thames Centre. “We’re always open to listening to and learning from the public, especially when it comes to helping people who need it most. Working with the Alzheimer Society will help us make municipal services more accessible to more people.”

“We’re happy to recognize the Municipality of Thames Centre as a Dementia Friendly Community Supporter,” says Steph Ouellet, AlzSWP CEO. “This is not a one-off for employees. Thames Centre is a partner with a commitment to continuous improvement, and we will be working with them in the future to make services more inclusive for people living with dementia, their families, and care partners.”

Decals are distributed at the discretion of the Alzheimer Society. Recipients of the decal must have 75% of public-facing staff take part in dementia friendly education. Following the completion of staff training sessions over the summer, over 80% of front-line municipal staff have completed DFC training.

The decal can now be seen at a number of municipal offices, including the FlightExec Centre, Thorndale Lions Community Centre, and the Thames Centre Municipal Office.

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Contacts:
Michael Ramnanan
Communications Manager
mramnanan@thamescentre.on.ca
519.268-7334 ext. 258

Siobhan Witte
Manager of Communications and Marketing
siobhan.witte@alzswp.ca 
519.680.2404 ext. 152