Dementia Friendly America (DFA) is a national network of communities, organizations, professionals, and individuals working to ensure that people living with Alzheimer’s Disease or another related dementia and their caregivers are supported by the community. This initiative, launched in 2015 in Minnesota, has been gradually moving throughout the United States. In late 2018, DFA in York and Adams County was developed by Cross Keys Village to address the growing concerns about the stigma surrounding dementia within our community. The York/Adams chapter is one of several 'chapters' in Pennsylvania that have embraced the effort.
Since the beginning of 2019, DFA in York and Adams County has trained hundreds of local Dementia Friends. People living with Alzheimer’s disease, along with their caregivers, can feel confident that community members and area businesses are becoming better equipped to support them as the disease progresses.
York and Adams Counties are proud to be part of this Dementia Friends movement! Our current projects include:
- Participating in the York County Community Foundation’s Embracing Aging’s Age Friendly Plan
- Conducting a 2-day training for first responders in York County…training by Cathy Bollinger of Embracing Aging, Jill Kaylor of Visiting Angels and Alison Sprankle of GOOD NEWS CONSULTING
- Working with interested companies who want to be on the journey of becoming a Dementia Friendly Business
- Increasing the number of Dementia Friends and Dementia Friends Champions (volunteer trainers) in our communities
- Establishing a Community Action Team (CAT) to continue to advance the movement
