The Champaign-Urbana Dementia Friendly Task Force is comprised of 24 people who represent a broad range of community members. The members of the Task Force represent Age-Friendly, higher education, community organizations, healthcare, businesses, journalists, government, transportation, financial institutions, community members, and the Area Agency on Aging.
The Task Force has been meeting regularly since last November. Each team member has become a Dementia Friend. A few have become a Dementia Champion with plans for more. Dementia Friends talks have already been conducted in the area.
The Task Force has already conducted a community survey which showed the need for community education on dementia, especially in the areas of financial services, legal and first responders.
The Task Force has plans to provide education for the three groups noted from their community survey, financial services, legal and first responders, and more will be offered over time. They also plan to create social media images to share with their various agencies.
The University of Illinois Extension – Champaign County will be the lead organization for Dementia Friendly Champaign-Urbana. With their expertise in providing education and leadership in the state, they are a perfect fit for leading the Dementia Friendly efforts. They have created an extensive network of interested community members and will conduct regular evaluations of their progress.
Emily Harmon, m.s.
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Family Life
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