Watch the inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
On Sunday, January 15, 2023, the first inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards took place. On this page, watch the show’s recording and learn more about our amazing nominees and winners!
On Sunday, January 15, the Alzheimer Society was thrilled to host the inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
Part of our Dementia-Friendly Canada project, the Awards recognized the incredible changes people are creating to make Canada more welcoming, inclusive and supportive of people living with dementia.
Congrats to all the nominees and winners for their dedication to making a difference – you are all an inspiration!
Watch the full recording of the show here below!
And here is the full list of the nominees and winners!
Dementia-Friendly Voice
The nominees:
✦ Debbie Keay,
✦ Debbie Lamb,
✦ Jim Mann and
✦ Myrna Norman.
Winner: Jim Mann
A huge congratulations to Jim Mann of B.C.., the first winner of the Dementia-Friendly Voice award at our inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
Jim is a powerful advocate in sharing his experience of living with dementia and reducing the stigma associated with it. He has truly raised awareness for the disease and displayed what living well with dementia can mean.
Dementia-Friendly Ally
The nominees:
✦ Charlene Knudsen,
✦ Jill Lawlor,
✦ Darrel O’Shaughnessy and
✦ Tyler Redublo.
Winner: Charlene Knudsen
We’d like to take the opportunity to recognize the incredible work of Charlene Knudsen of Alberta, who was posthumously awarded as the first Dementia-Friendly Ally winner at our inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards.
Charlene was instrumental in supporting people living with dementia in her community, and her impact shall continue. You can learn more about Charlene in the acceptance speech that her husband, Kevin, and her daughter, Katie, made in her memory.
Dementia-Friendly Grassroots Group
The nominees:
✦ Dementia Friendly Task Group
✦ Memory Café Nova Scotia,
✦ Memory + Inclusive Communities Everywhere and
✦ The Rons.
Winner: Memory Café Nova Scotia
A huge congratulations to Memory Café Nova Scotia for winning the Dementia-Friendly Grassroots Group award at our inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
The Café has proven to be a vital program to encourage community and conversation. Social activity is critical to the quality of life for people living with dementia and we thank everyone involved with the Café for helping enable this.
Dementia-Friendly Municipality
The nominees:
✦ The City of London,
✦ the District of West Vancouver,
✦ the Town of Stony Plain and
✦ the Township of Langley.
Winner: The District of West Vancouver
Congratulations to the District of West Vancouver for being recognized as the first Dementia-Friendly Municipality winner at our recent inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
The district has worked tirelessly to enact and support dementia-friendly programs and policies that make the community more supportive and inclusive for residents affected by dementia.
Dementia-Friendly Small to Medium Organization
The nominees:
✦ Drive Happiness,
✦ the Hamilton Council on Aging,
✦ Innisfail Community Partners in Action and
✦ the Yorkton Public library
Winner: The Hamilton Council on Aging
Congratulations to the Hamilton Council of Aging in Ontario for winning Dementia-Friendly Small-to-Medium Organization at our inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
They’ve truly displayed how important and empowering it is to not only have places that support people living with dementia, but also be led by voices of people with lived experience. We thank them for their commitment!
Dementia-Friendly Large Organization
The nominees:
✦ St. Michael’s Long Term Care Centre,
✦ Vancouver International Airport and
✦ YMCA Southwestern Ontario.
Winner: Vancouver International Airport
We’d like to congratulate Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for being the first winner of the Dementia-Friendly Large Organization category at our inaugural Dementia-Friendly Communities Awards!
Airports can be overwhelming for many people, and especially for people living with dementia. YVR have been working tirelessly to ensure that the airport is more accessible to people living with dementia.
You can join us in making all communities in Canada dementia-friendly. Find out how you and your organization can make a Dementia-Friendly Canada possible. We might see you on this list next year!