By Regina Salmi, Area Agency on Aging of West Michigan

Today, there are over 5,000,000 people living with dementia. They are members of our churches, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and our communities. They shop in the same stores we do, dine at the same restaurants, attend the same events, and utilize the same public transportation system. Despite living with dementia, they continue to be vital members of our communities and valued for their contributions. This is the ideal, anyway.

The reality is, for people living with dementia, their world tends to become slowly and consistently smaller, and a lot of this has to do with the difficulty they experience interacting with the world around them. We’ve all come into contact with a person who seems lost, is taking an extremely long time to make a decision, or is ‘holding up the line’ because they are confused about a process. We become exasperated; they become upset, and no one leaves the experience feeling good about ourselves.

While we can go about our day, collecting better experiences, a person with dementia will be reluctant to have that experience again, and will begin to avoid doing anything that may recreate it — shopping for groceries, riding a bus, ordering in a restaurant. They gradually become more isolated, less independent and separated from their communities. The isolation and separation people with dementia experience can actually contribute to the acceleration of their dementia. This isolation takes a great toll on care partners as well. Since they spend most of their time in the company of their loved one, they experience the same isolation and detachment from community.

Dementia Friendly Grand Rapids (DFGR) is part of a national movement working to create aware and supportive ‘Dementia Friends’ throughout all sectors of our community so that people living with dementia can comfortably navigate daily life. DFGR strives to move Grand Rapids toward becoming a more aware, accessible and inclusive city. A dementia-friendly city improves the community for everyone and is more livable through implementation of universal design. Dementia-friendly communities are more attractive, competitive and sustainable when they become more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

We’re learning more everyday about the various dementias, like Alzheimer’s, and the ways we can help people with dementia live fuller, more active and engaged lives, and extend independence and participation in their communities. For this to happen though, everyone needs to work together to create communities where any person, including a person with dementia, can live and thrive. This is dementia friendly.

DFGR’s main focus right now is creating awareness. This is done by teaching people about dementia and helping participants develop practical actions they can use to help someone they may encounter in the community who has dementia. Jennifer VanHorssen, DFGR Program Coordinator, says, “Whether it be the checkout at a grocery store, on the bus, serving coffee at a coffee shop, or at an art or music performance, each of us can be supportive and help people living with dementia feel welcome and included.” In the last year alone, volunteers with Dementia Friendly Grand Rapids have provided over 30 trainings enabling more than 400 people to become new Dementia Friends.

Creating a dementia-friendly city requires participation from all sectors of society — business, local government, transportation, financial institutions, neighborhood associations and faith communities, emergency responders, healthcare and the legal sector. DFGR’s focus for 2017-2018 is business. VanHorssen’s hope is to focus on sub-sectors “like restaurants, grocery stores, hair salons/barber shops, local retail, libraries and other public spaces” where business owners and/or employees are interacting with customers who may have dementia.

Often the slightest shift in our approach to working with a customer who seems indecisive, confused, or unsure of themselves can help them feel safe, supported and empowered. “In a dementia friendly community” VanHorssen cites, “people living with dementia have autonomy, a high quality of life, and are engaged with the community.”

Grand Rapids is experiencing an enormous amount of growth and development – we have the opportunity to do things differently so all Grand Rapids residents and visitors can have autonomy while navigating our city. It begins with awareness. If your business/organization would like to learn about becoming a dementia friend, contact Dementia Friendly Grand Rapids by calling (616) 222-7036 or email info@dementiafriendlygr.com. You can also learn more about DFGR and the dementia friendly movement on their website: www.dementiafriendlygr.com