A Quest to Become Dementia-Friendly

Minnesota's Act on Alzheimer's collaborative and the FamilyMeans nonprofit are enlisting volunteers to train businesses on how to engage with people with dementia and host support groups for caregivers, reports U.S. News & World Report . Advocacy groups say cities and states need to do more to allow people with dementia to retain their independence as long as possible. Through Act on Alzheimer's, Minnesota is spearheading the development of dementia- and Alzheimer's-friendly communities, with a model of the state's initiative adopted in 27 other states. About 92,000 older adults in Minnesota have Alzheimer's, and that population is expected to grow to 120,000 by 2025, according to forecasts from the Alzheimer's Association. "People are passionate about this issue because they've lived it or have been close to it," says Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging Executive Director Dawn Simonson. "It's something that really unites people, and it unites people across the generations." Making communities more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities also benefits the community at large, says the Collective Action Lab's Olivia Mastry. Her organization helped form the nationwide Dementia Friendly America network in 2015 to reproduce its success in communities across the U.S. "We're seeing new services and supports popping up in communities," Mastry notes. "So it really is beginning to change the face of communities in terms of normalizing and destigmatizing the fact that people may have cognitive impairments, and then offering responsive and supportive services so they can be as independent as possible for as long as possible."