Dementia Friendly Efforts
The Galesburg Dementia Friendly Task Force represents a broad range of community members. The Task Force is comprised of people from the VNA (Volunteer Network Aging), senior healthcare organizations, Americorp, the Alzheimer’s Association, the local library, skilled care facility, non-profit organizations, the regional Area Agency on Aging, the Public Library, the mayor, a financial institution, a representative of Triad, and a person with dementia and a caregiver. Many of the task force members work with people who have dementia and will include their voice in the Dementia Friendly efforts. Also, several people in the Galesburg area have become a Dementia Champion.
The Dementia Friendly Community Task Force has developed several goals. They include, gathering information through interviews, surveys, focus groups, and mapping of existing services. The Task Force plans to raise awareness, reduce stigma and improve access to dementia friendly services but community wide training, caregiver support programs and development of dementia awareness protocols in key sectors.
The Galesburg Dementia Friendly initiative will be led by staff from the VNA, and extensive evaluation plans are already in place.
Dementia Friendly Contact
Michael John Bennett
Executive Director
VNA Community Services
2262 Grand Ave |Â Galesburg, IL 61401
(309) 342-1152
Email