“A dementia friendly community is a village, town, city, or county that is informed, safe, and respectful of individuals with the disease, their families, and caregivers, and provides supportive options that foster quality of life.” See www.dfamerica.org.

In our effort toward creating a Dementia Friendly Sun Lakes, Creative Engagement Partners and Neighbors Who Care will be hosting free Informational Sessions on this initiative. The goal is to help members in the community to understand five key messages about dementia, how it affects people, and how we each can make a difference in the lives of people living with the disease.

Become a Dementia Friend—You can help by becoming a Dementia Friend. Attend a one-hour information session to learn what dementia is, what it’s like to live with the disease, the most common types of dementia, and tips for communicating with people who have dementia. Everyone who attends is asked to turn their understanding of dementia into action—either big or small—to help fellow community members living with dementia.

Information sessions will be held at the Neighbors Who Care office, at 10450 E. Riggs Road, Suite 113, in Sun Lakes, at the following times:

Thursday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m.

Call 480-895-2815, Ext. 170, or email [email protected] to RSVP.

This initiative is all about awareness and understanding. If you’d like to get more involved or are interested in additional information, please give us a call at 480-203-8548. There also is the opportunity to become a Dementia Champion and teach these informational sessions, or to help in other ways. We hope you will join us.