The Dementia Friendly Hyde Park Initiative has developed a large partnership with stakeholders from a variety of sectors. They include:
Organizations:
- Chicago Hyde Park Village
- Chicago Public Library (Blackstone Branch)
- Hyde Park Art Center
- Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce
- Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference
- Hyde Park & Kenwood Interfaith Council
- Memory Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center
- Montgomery Place (Retirement Community)
- John F. Disterhoft, Ph.D. Magerstadt Memorial Research Professor at Northwestern University
- SHARE (Supporting Healthy Aging Resources & Education) Network
- SECC (South East Chicago Commission)
Elected officials:
- Leslie A. Hairston (City of Chicago Alderman, 5th Ward)
- Sophia D. King (City of Chicago Alderman, 4th Ward)
- Robert Peters (IL State Senator, 13th District)
- Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President
- Curts J. Tarver II (IL State Representative, 25th District)
Before the limitations of COVID-19, the Hyde Park Dementia Friendly Initiative conducted the following:
- Held several stakeholder meetings in the winter of 2020 to build momentum for a Dementia Friendly initiative in Hyde Park
- Hosted a community presentation on 2/12/2020 at the Chicago Hyde Park Village Drop-in event
- Distributed a survey at the 2/12/2020 event and received community input to the following:
- What living in a dementia friendly community means?
- How Hyde Park is supportive of people living with dementia and their caregivers?
- How Hyde Park could be more dementia friendly?
- Which additional stakeholders should we reach out to?
To adjust to the restrictions of COVID-19, the Hyde Park Dementia Friendly Initiative has created the following goals:
- Create a dedicated email for the Dementia Friendly Hyde Park initiative (Summer 2020)
- Reach out to local elected officials and get them onboard with the initiative (Summer 2020) as well as to solicit their assistance on how best to get involvement from other sectors (first responders, businesses, residential settings, etc.) (Fall 2020)
- Recruit action team members (groups mentioned above in the convening across sectors) and convene the first quarterly meeting (Fall 2020)
- Recruit 5-7 people with dementia and/or their friends, caregivers, or family members for an advisory committee and convene a first meeting (Summer 2020)
- Begin promoting the Dementia Friends program and train 10-12 people (Summer 2020-Summer 2021)
- Continue monthly Hyde Park Art Center Artful Aging skill based participatory art making classes and workshops which provide the 65 + community an opportunity to express themselves through the arts and/or as Artists (ongoing)
- Contact the local newspaper, the Hyde Park Herald, and the local email list (Goodneighbors) to help publicize the Dementia Friendly Hyde Park initiative and seek community involvement (Fall 2020)
- Host a larger community meeting to formally introduce the Dementia Friendly Hyde Park initiative to the larger community via Zoom (or in person if the public health situation improves dramatically) (Winter 2020)
- Create a Dementia Friendly Hyde Park webpage with links to resources on the champion organization website in order to foster effective and efficient communication (Fall 2020)
- Expand the Village Visitors program to include 2-4 families impacted by dementia. This program is run by the Chicago Hyde Park Village and funded by the SHARE Network. It connects trained volunteers to older adults and provides opportunities for social interaction and exercise for older adults so that family members can enjoy a bit of respite. (Fall 2020-Summer 2021)
Dementia Friendly Hyde Park plans to utilize many community forums and events to spread the information about the initiative.
For Information contact, email Dorothy Pyetl or visit their website.