[Archived] City of Alexandria Focuses on Becoming More Dementia-Friendly

For Immediate Release: July 26, 2019

On Tuesday, July 30, the Alexandria Commission on Aging and Goodwin House Alexandria will co-host a community event to highlight the Dementia-Friendly Alexandria initiative, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., in City Hall Sister Cities Conference Room 1101 (301 King St.).

Dementia-Friendly Alexandria aims to educate the community about dementia: how it affects people, how to support caregivers, and how everyday individuals can make a difference in the lives of people living with the disease.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages — 5.6 million of whom are older than 65 — are living with Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia. Nearly 60 percent of people with dementia have not had to move homes as a result, or have moved within the same community, and one in seven live alone.

Dementia-Friendly America (DFA) is a national network of communities, organizations and individuals seeking to ensure that communities across the United States are equipped to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. Communities around the country are taking action, with more than 200 cities in 40 states going through the process of becoming dementia-friendly. The DFA movement began in September 2015, following the White House Conference on Aging, and is based on the state of Minnesota’s statewide initiative, ACT on Alzheimer’s.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact maurice.tomdio@alexandriava.gov or call 571.384.5244, Virginia Relay 711.