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The COVID pandemic derailed considerable momentum that Dementia-Friendly Evanston had going – and now, the city committee, launched in 2017, is eager to make up for lost time.
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During its Tuesday meeting, held at the Falcon Room on the third floor of the Evanston Public Library system’s main building, members put together a list of five major priorities to work on for the next few months.
The list, which they describe as only a starting point, includes sending out a regular digital newsletter with dementia-related resources and advice, working with Evanston Fire and Police departments to set up training on how to respond to people with dementia, working with the Evanston Public Library to organize dementia-friendly events such as movie nights, updating the initiative’s webpage and organizing a dementia symposium, tentatively in November.
The committee is also looking to rebuild its network by reaching out to senior care facilities, medical providers, local businesses and other institutions that would help it fulfill its mission.
The initiative was launched through the Age-Friendly Evanston task force. The idea was to help people with dementia, as well as their families and caregivers, by setting up programs, organizing events and raising awareness about the realities of dementia and available resources. The initiative has since been moved under the Senior Services Division of Evanston’s Parks and Recreation Department, which is led by Amy Kellogg, senior services division manager. Dementia-Friendly Evanston is a subcommittee of the Commission on Aging and Disabilities, which is overseen by the city’s Human Services Committee.
Re-starting the work
According to committee member Rachel Stams, who serves as Evanston’s senior services coordinator, the pandemic forced the group to scuttle programs and events as the city focused on providing services to seniors stuck at home. But a few months ago, the committee started back up, determined to recapture the momentum.
“Now, we’re kind of trying to get the band back together,” she said.
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During Tuesday’s meeting, committee members talked about the importance of training not just first responders, but 311 operators and staff working in hospital emergency rooms. If the City Council approves a community responder program, where trained civilians would respond to non-emergency calls and try to de-escalate fraught situations, the committee would like to see dementia training included. The committee also floated the possibility of taking a cue from the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, which offers training to landlords of buildings with a large number of senior tenants to spot signs of memory loss, abuse and other issues.
In the long run, the committee wants to do outreach to local businesses, whether they specifically cater to seniors or not. For example, Stams said, a restaurant might have a customer with dementia and staff may not know how deal with them, so they would appreciate information.
The committee also discussed inviting people with dementia and caregivers to join their ranks.
“That’s always a hard thing to do, but we really need families [of people with dementia], people with dementia to steer the conversations and help identify what we’re missing,” said committee member Barbara Sittler, a retired social worker.
But she added that the key is to show they can offer something valuable to people with dementia and their families.
“If they take their time [to attend meetings], it has to be worth their time to participate,” Sittler said.
Committee Chair John Straus told the RoundTable that the members are eager to hear any ideas or feedback from the community. All committee meetings are open to the public. For more information about the Dementia-Friendly Evanston Initiative, call the Senior Services office at 847-866-2919.
Correction: The Senior Services Division is managed by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, not the Health and Human Services Department as stated by a previous version of this article.
Dementia-Friendly Evanston effort ‘trying get the band back together’ with outreach, activities is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.