The Government of Canada has announced funding for six community-based dementia projects aimed at providing tailored support for people living with dementia, including those with young-onset dementia, Indigenous populations, and individuals living in rural, remote, and ethnocultural communities. These projects are funded under the Dementia Community Investment (DCI), which was launched in 2018 with ongoing funding of $4 million per year and has invested more than $29 million to date to support community-based initiatives that align with A Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Aspire.
In Hamilton, Ontario, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is leading the Artful Moments: Community Connections project with $586,260 in funding over two years. This initiative offers art-based activities in multiple languages to promote self-expression, social connection, and inclusion for people living with dementia, particularly older immigrants facing language barriers.
Canada’s National Ballet School is receiving $530,531 over two years to implement Building Community, Sharing Dance, a program in Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories that co-develops dance programs for people living with dementia and those at risk, with a focus on equity-deserving communities. The project builds local capacity, trains dance artists, community members, and health workers, and promotes social inclusion while reducing stigma around dementia.
Conestoga College is leading a national project, CARE Partners Ed: Cultivating Awareness, Resilience and Empowerment for Care Partners, through Education in Dementia, with $800,000 over two years. The project provides bilingual online learning modules, peer-support forums, and practical webinars to equip caregivers with knowledge and strategies to support people living with dementia while improving their own resilience, confidence, and wellbeing.
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is receiving $999,988 over four years to expand Precision Dementia Prevention for Older Adults in the Community. This project enhances the Dementia Risk Calculator, a tool that identifies modifiable risk factors and provides risk reduction guidance. Partnering with Ottawa Public Health, the program targets older adults, including women, ethnocultural communities, and official language minority groups, and will develop a toolkit for national dissemination.
In Montreal, Quebec, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre is implementing Caring Spaces: Bridging Academia and Community to Support People Living with Dementia and Care Partners, funded at $817,572 over four years. This initiative provides in-person and online support, educational resources, and activities for caregivers and people living with dementia, particularly in underserved multicultural and linguistically diverse populations.
The University of Northern British Columbia is leading Care Partner Empowerment: Enhancing Lives in Dementia Care, funded at $1 million over four years. The project focuses on northern BC, providing caregivers and people living with dementia with educational resources and tools to reduce caregiver burnout, promote aging in place, and improve confidence and quality of life, with plans to expand across northern BC and eventually to other regions.
These six projects collectively aim to strengthen support networks, reduce social isolation, and improve the quality of life for both people living with dementia and their caregivers, demonstrating Canada’s commitment to inclusive, community-based dementia care.
