Living Well with Dementia: Toward Dementia-Friendly Policy

Opening Speakers

• Rob Oliphant, Liberal MP, Don Valley West, co-sponsor of Bill C-233, An Act respecting a national strategy for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia
• Henk Nies, Chair, Vilans (Dutch Knowledge Center for Aging and Long-term Care) and Professor of Organization and Policy, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
• Eckart Schnabel, Lead, Research Centre for Care Insurance, National Association of Health and Care Insurance Funds, Berlin, Germany

Panel Speakers

• Frances Morton-Chang, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
• Ashnoor Rahim, Vice President Community Care Unit, Seniors & Wellness, Mental Health & Developmental Services, WoodGreen Community Services, Toronto
• Phyllis Fehr, Person with Lived Experience, Ontario Dementia Advisory Group

Although the onset of dementia is sometimes portrayed as a catastrophic event leading almost inevitably to loss of independence, institutionalization, and unsustainable health care costs, a majority of Canadians living with dementia and their caregivers can, and do, continue to live relatively independently for most or all of their lives. To ensure that this happens in as safe and supportive way as possible, a growing number of jurisdictions are now shifting their focus to what it takes for people experiencing dementia to “live well” in their own homes and communities as active and valued citizens.

This symposium tackles key assumptions around dementia and dementia care starting with the assumption that persons living with dementia are incapable of contributing to their own lives or the lives of others. It considers initiatives now being undertaken internationally, nationally and locally, to move beyond thinking about dementia as an individual medical condition, to dementia as a collective responsibility best addressed through the creation of dementia-friendly communities.

Location:  The Atrium, George Vari Centre, Ryerson University, 245 Church Street, Toronto

Cost: $80 (students and seniors $40) including light morning refreshments & a networking lunch

Registration:  www.eply.com/1773026

Further information:  www.ryerson.ca/crncc/events-alphabetical-sort/dementia2017/