New website offers support for Albertans who have a loved one living with dementia

Albertans now have a new guide and website to consult if they need guidance in supporting people living with dementia.

The 'dementia friendly communities' guide was unveiled by the Brenda Strafford Foundation Friday in Calgary.

The provincial government helped fund the project with a $200,000 grant.

Navjot Virk, who is with the Brenda Strafford Foundation, says a dementia-friendly community is one where people feel comfortable being themselves.

"Making sure that people feel comfortable, safe and happy in environments where they work, play, live, socialize," Virk said. "With this project, just the groundswell of support that we've seen … from our community partners has just been absolutely incredible, and just everyone asking that question in terms of, 'What is one thing we can do to make things more dementia friendly?' is really what started this project and fostered so many partnerships in the community."

Seniors minister Josephine Pon, who was at the unveiling of the guide Friday in Calgary, says it's important to provide support for the growing number of Albertans with dementia.

"Currently we have about 46,000 Albertans with dementia," Pon said. "And we think that this is very important to create a guide to helping the community, helping the individual, helping the non-profit organizations to help those Albertans with this diagnosis of dementia."

The number of Albertans living with dementia is expected to nearly quadruple in the next 30 years.

The guide can be found on a new website dementiafriendlyalberta.ca.