May 11, 2016 – At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 16, the Mankato/North Mankato ACT on Alzheimer’s team, dressed in purple attire, will be hitting the streets of North Riverfront Drive, Mankato and Belgrade Avenue, North Mankato to encourage local businesses to become more dementia friendly.
Members of the local ACT on Alzheimer’s team will be offering a free training to businesses from the Alzheimer’s Association called Dementia Friendly @ Work. Businesses can schedule the training at their convenience.
Dementia Friendly @ Work is a one-hour educational session for staff of businesses and service organizations, as well as other community settings. The training focuses on understanding dementia and taking action to create an environment that is safe, respectful, and welcoming for people living with dementia.
Approximately 91,000 Minnesotans age 65+ are living with Alzheimer’s. It is projected that Alzheimer’s cases and other dementias will triple by 2050. These numbers represent family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, colleagues, clients, and customers.
ACT on Alzheimer’s is a statewide, volunteer-driven initiative that brings volunteers, together to help identify ways a community can become more dementia friendly. Since August of 2014 the Mankato/North Mankato team has been working to raise awareness and understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, educate caregivers on resources for Alzheimer’s and Dementia care and reduce the stigma and isolation that too often comes with the disease. Current initiatives include on-going community-wide trainings about dementia including, Dementia Friendly @ Work and two courses created by Alzheimer’s Association: Know the 10 Signs and The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Find out more about Mankato/North Mankato ACT on Alzheimer’s at www.rndc.org/act-alzheimers
Find out more about Dementia Friendly @ Work at www.actonalz.org/dementia-friendly-work
