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Dementia Friendly
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Building dementia-friendly communities

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Creating a community that better understands Alzheimer's and dementia fosters a better environment for all. One where shop owners understand unusual behavior, where waiters can provide more patience with a confused customer, and one where caregivers have allies and neighbors who better comprehend their situation.

The Dementia Friends initiative is about turning your new understanding of dementia into practical actions, helping others in your community. An estimated 250,000+ people are living with dementia in Illinois. Every action counts.

Led by Debbie Kuhns, program director at the Smith Alzheimer’s Center at SIU Medicine, each 90-minute session provides a better understanding of dementia, how to effectively communicate, simple actions you can do to provide support, and more. As we add more Dementia Friends to our community, we change how we can think, act and talk about dementia.

Presentations will be available at the upcoming dates:

NAACP
801 S. 11th St.
August 23, 2-3:30pm

Lincoln Library
326 S. 7th St.
September 17, 5:30-7pm

Virtual
(Link will be available soon)
October 3, 5:30-7pm

Chatham United Methodist Church
104 W. Chestnut St.
October 7, 5:30-7pm

Salvation Army Clearlake Corps
1600 E. Clear Lake Ave.
October 16, 2-4pm

Williamsville Public Library & Museum
217 Elm St.
October 24, 10-11:30am

Chatham Area Public Library
600 E. Spruce St.
November 14, 2-3:30pm

For more information or to register, contact Debbie Kuhns at 217.545.5698 or email dkuhns76@siumed.edu

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