ORCA’s Dementia-Inclusive Initiative
As more Canadians are choosing to spend their later years living in retirement communities, it is important that these residences are able to adapt to the diverse needs of both current and future residents. ORCA is committed to the importance of providing supportive and safe environments for residents living with varying levels of cognitive abilities. As an association, we recognize that there is a need for more resources to foster dementia inclusivity, reduce stigmas, and raise awareness for staff, residents and families living in retirement communities; this need was the impetus for the development of ORCA’s Dementia-Inclusive Initiative.
2016
ORCA’s Dementia-Inclusive Initiative began in the fall with the development of a task force led by Dr. Laura Booi. Supported by funding from the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation and sponsored by PointClickCare, ORCA became one of the first organizations in the retirement community sector to join this international movement.
2017
The following spring, ORCA conducted background work, including a member survey on the level of dementia stigma found within retirement communities. Later in the fall, the Association visited ten retirement communities across the province to collect information from over 80 respondents to help shape some of the training content.
2018
With the help of subject matter experts and ORCA’s Dementia Task Force, resources were developed to pilot the initiative, including educational tutorials for retirement community operators and staff. Additional resources developed included:
- The “I’m Olive” video (download here), depicting a day in the life of a retirement community resident living well with dementia;
- Two e-learning modules to educate frontline staff: “About Dementia Inclusivity” and “Breaking Barriers”;
- A Dementia-Inclusive Initiative Guide providing insight into stigma surrounding dementia, frameworks for understanding it, and how to support residents living with dementia; and
- A Dementia-Inclusive Reflection Checklist, designed to initiate discussions on whether current practices and services in a retirement community reflect an environment that is dementia-inclusive.
The pilot project saw participation by 169 staff from 30 retirement communities in Ontario, and two additional communities outside of the province. Based on the results of this pilot project, ORCA will continue to evolve the initiative in all retirement communities in Ontario and nationally.
2019
On March 20, ORCA’s Dementia-Inclusive Initiative resources were launched on the Learning Centre for Senior Living with webinars to walk members through the educational materials and how to use them.
2020
Additional resources were developed and added to ORCA’s Dementia Inclusive Initiative, including the “I’m Olive” video with French (view here) and English subtitles (view here).
2021
Over 2,300 managers and frontline retirement community staff have participated in the online training to date! Additional resources were developed, including:
- Two additional e-learning modules: “Personal Expressions” and “Enhancing the Mealtime Experience.”
