Dementia friendly Washington conference inspires Orcas Senior Center

||| FROM STEVEN ZIEGLER for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER |||

As a staff member at Orcas Senior Center, I recently had the opportunity to attend a virtual conference about dementia friendly communities. For two days, I listened to participants’ heartfelt experiences about caring for others suffering from dementia. As I work directly with seniors, and my Aunt Gail is living with Alzheimer’s, this struck a chord. However, I ended the conference wanting more information. How could I contribute to making communities more dementia friendly right now?

I received the answer a few days later, at Orcas Senior Center. A gentleman called inquiring about Meals on Wheels deliveries and without jotting down any contact information, I transferred his call to the person best equipped to help. Shortly after, I realized that I should have taken his information and followed through to confirm his involvement in the program. A dementia friendly community encourages safeguards, ensuring the needs of seniors are met. In this moment, I neglected to implement a safeguard and thus, failed to create a dementia friendly space.

The next day, I implemented a safeguard by reaching out to my colleague. I was affirmed that this man did not fall through the cracks, as he was set up for meal delivery. The Dementia Friendly Washington Conference allowed me to view this moment through a different lens, gaining a better sense of preparedness. Proactively navigating the world with this awareness is one small form of advocacy, which is needed to actively contribute to making communities more dementia friendly right now. If you or a loved one needs assistance navigating the onset of dementia, contact Heidi Bruce at 360-370-0591 or HeidiB@sanjuanco.com. To learn more about dementia friendly communities, go to dfamerica.org.