The following is a list of suggested activities that the recipients of our dementia awareness and education grant can choose to address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in their organization or community they serve.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will provide informational resources and support to grantees to implement the activities. All information and resources shared with organizations and communities through this grant must come from a trusted source of information as approved by DOH or linked to on this page.
Category 1 Educational Activities
$500 Each
- Host two educational sessions or subject matter expert presentations approved by DOH with at least 10 attendees on any of the modifiable risk factors and their relationship to brain health and dementia.
- Conduct one additional 2-hour Dementia Action Collaborative Brain Health and Dementia Awareness educational session within your organization or community with at least 10 attendees.
- Post provided dementia and brain health related educational materials, training, and culturally or linguistically appropriate information on all your organization’s communication platforms. (Examples: brochure holders, websites, newsletters, bulletin boards, social media platforms, team meetings, health fairs, or other organization events.)
- Conduct a check in within a month of each Brain Health and Dementia Awareness session to ask participants if they completed the "One Change I Can Make or Action I Can Take" they committed to in the training and offer resources to them for the changes or actions they identified.
- Host a webinar or educational session and distribute materials on the importance of early detection and diagnosis and encourage participants to talk to their doctor about their concerns (PDF) and schedule their Medicare annual wellness visit to include a cognition screening. Provide the My Health Checklist to take to their next doctor’s visit.
- Assess resources (PDF) in your community then build and promote a resource library online or within the community that identifies possible support groups and services such as people living with dementia support groups, respite care services, gerontology services, care partner support services, screening locations, etc. See the Community Resource Finder and Community Living Connections. Provide resources for caregivers.
- Provide support for those living with dementia and their care partners by hosting a Dementia Friends information session, arranging a speaker to share their experiences living with dementia, or inviting a speaker to discuss various care partner support services such as the Family Caregiver Support Program, the Washington Family Caregiver Learning Portal or Trualta.
- Host a legal planning educational session for your organization or community and promote the Dementia Action Collaborative’s legal planning toolkit and resources.
- Educational activity of choice (describe activity and intended population).
Category 2 Sustainable Intervention Activities
$1,000 Each
- Implement a program or policy change to address the risks of dementia by creating systems level changes within your organization or community. Examples include:
- Implement a worksite wellness program to address risk factors associated with brain health such as tobacco use, poor diet, lack of physical activity, high blood pressure, diabetes, poor sleep, and depression. Resources: CDC's Healthier Worksite Initiative, Healthcare Authority's Wellness Program Guide, the Spokane Regional Health toolkit (PDF), or physical activity programs.
- Create and implement a plan for your organization to assist those with hearing loss (e.g. providing assistive hearing devices, translation services, etc.). Contact hope@hearingloss-wa.org or visit the Hearing Loss of America's Washington chapter website for more information and resources.
- Reduce the chances of traumatic brain injuries by implementing a falls prevention program, conducting a dementia safety assessment within your organization or homes, or conduct a needs assessment (PDF) in your organization or community.
- Create and implement a yearly program to increase the number of people who are aware of the signs of dementia, how to address memory concerns or identify cognitive decline concerns (PDF), and talk with a provider about them. Evidence-based practice ideas.
- Organize and implement a Memory Café Program, Alzheimer’s Café (PDF), or use your location for a virtual dementia support group or in-person support group or care partner support group that meets multiple times per year.
- Coordinate the process to become a dementia friendly community or organization or implement a sector specific plan.
- Host a care partner program such as Powerful Tools for Caregivers, or provide an ongoing respite opportunity (PDF) for family care partners. Provide resources for caregivers.
- Develop a plan and implement activities during worship services to become more dementia friendly. (e.g. conduct an inclusive and/or modified worship experience, adopt "Memory Sunday" or "Purple Sunday" (PDF), etc.).
- Ongoing or sustainable activity of choice (describe activity and intended population).
Resources for Trusted Sources of Information
- Dementia Action Collaborative
- Washington State Department of Health Alzheimer’s and Dementia
- Community Living Connections
- University of Washington Medicine Memory & Brain Wellness Center
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Centers for Disease Control Alzheimer’s and Dementia
- International Association for Indigenous Aging
- Us Against Alzheimer’s