Hancock County is the first community in Ohio to join the Dementia Friendly America Network, and one of 29 communities who have been recognized nationwide. The Dementia Friendly America initiative is a multi-sector, national collaborative of over 35 leading organizations that are catalyzing a movement and set of best practices to foster “dementia friendly” communities across the United States to improve opportunities and outcomes for a growing number of people with dementia, their families and care partners.
Across the United States, an estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. In Hancock County, an estimated 1,800 people have dementia and over 5,400 individuals are being impacted on a daily basis due to caregiving responsibilities. Nearly 60 percent of people with dementia live in their own communities and one in seven lives alone. Communities across the country are experiencing an urgent call to support people with dementia and their caregivers by becoming “dementia friendly.”
“Ohio’s population of older adults is growing more than 20 times faster than our overall population,” said Dr. Bonnie Kantor-Burman, Director of the Ohio Department of Aging. “The Hancock County Dementia Coalition shows how Ohio’s communities can and must embrace the challenges and opportunities of an aging population. When partners at all levels come together to make aging their business, we can ensure that families living with dementia are engaged and supported throughout their communities.”
In 2007, the Hancock County Dementia Coalition was founded by collaboration between the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter and 50 North with the mission of creating a community that is aware and accepting of individuals with dementia. It quickly grew to include several county agencies, organizations, and businesses including the Area Agency on Aging 3, Blanchard Valley Health System, Hancock County ADAMHS (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services) Board, Hancock County Educational Service Center, Hancock County Sheriff’s office, The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, United Way of Hancock County, University of Findlay, Whirlpool Corporation, and more. To provide support to further efforts of the Hancock County Dementia Coalition, The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter contributed as fiscal sponsors of this project.
“The Board and staff of the Foundation are gratified to see this designation come to Findlay,” said Katherine Kreuchauf, President of the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. “The Foundation first supported the Coalition in 2012. The goal was for Findlay to become a place where families dealing with this devastating disease could find support and assistance. Four years later, we can see the results of the hard work and commitment of these volunteers and professionals. We appreciate what you have accomplished for our community.”
Hancock County has been using an evidence-based, dementia-friendly community toolkit to engage community members in a process that will help them determine their current strengths and gaps, identify community goals and ways to respond, and to act together to be dementia friendly. A dementia friendly community 1) raises awareness of and develops respect and inclusion for people with dementia, 2) has services and resources embedded in all areas of community to ensure meaningful access to community and promote quality of life, 3) supports and educates people with dementia, their care partners and families from diagnosis through disease progression and 4) promotes meaningful engagement in community life.
With the help of 30 Speaker’s Bureau volunteers, the Hancock County Dementia Coalition has presented 123 programs to over 2,895 individuals in the community as of today. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Kinzig, Dementia Coalition Coordinator, [email protected] or 419-425-5409. More information about the Dementia Friendly America initiative is available at www.dfamerica.org.
