Thursday, January 03, 2019
WEST CHICAGO, Ill. – The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois is pleased to announce that North Chicago/Lake County and Kankakee County have joined the Dementia Friendly America network of communities! This prestigious honor has only been designated to a handful of communities across the nation.
Dementia Friendly communities have committed to working with people with dementia and their support systems to make them feel included in the community. Too often, people living with dementia and their caregivers feel alone, isolated and unable to participate or engage in activities they have always loved. Dementia friendly communities engage multiple sectors of the community that commit to helping people with dementia live as independently as possible.
“The goals of a dementia friendly community are to educate the community by increasing awareness and understanding, decreasing the stigma of the disease, fostering community involvement and improving the lives of those with dementia” said Marla Fronczak, Executive Director for the Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois. “We are thrilled that North Chicago and Kankakee County have joined the Dementia Friendly America network and look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative has on people living with dementia and their caregivers.”
The Agency on Aging Northeastern Illinois will be continuing their efforts in 2019 to engage more communities and businesses in becoming Dementia Friendly. They plan to host memory cafes and Tales and Travels Memories programs through local libraries. The Agency plans to train more businesses on how to interact with people with dementia through their Dementia Friendly Business Training where they have trained nearly 8,000 people in the past year through community presentations and business sector trainings.
The Agency on Aging of Northeastern Illinois is a nonprofit organization responsible for developing and coordinating a network of services for older persons throughout an eight county area in northeastern Illinois. The Agency informs and advises public and private agencies and the general public of the needs of older persons living in the area, and acts as an advocate on their behalf. The agency serves DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Other information about the agency and other topics of interest to older adults and links to other resources are available at the agency’s web site: www.ageguide.org.
