Dementia Friends in Washington State

You are a Dementia Friend after you attend an in-person or virtual Dementia Friends Information Session.  At the information session, you learn more about five key messages about dementia so that you can share with others. We invite you to commit to a small action step to support people living with dementia in your community - such as being more patient, taking a meal to a caregiver, or driving a friend to a doctor’s appointment.

Do you like public speaking and outreach? After attending an information session, you can become a volunteer to help spread the word about Dementia Friends. If you are interested, you can take our training to plan and lead a Dementia Friends Information Session in your own community group, organization, or workplace. 

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Anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. We need everyone to be part of supporting people in our communities living with dementia.

Attend an information session either in-person or online. To find an upcoming session in your area, contact the lead in your county from the list at the bottom of this page!

A Dementia Friends Champion is a volunteer who helps spread the word about how others can make a positive difference to people living with dementia by giving a Dementia Friends presentation to groups of interested individuals in their community, either online or in person.

Do you like public speaking and outreach? After attending an information session, you can become a volunteer to help spread the word about Dementia Friends. If you are interested, you can take our training to plan and lead a Dementia Friends Information Session in your own community group, organization, or workplace. 

Volunteer Interest Page

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It’s easy! Dementia Friends Champions are asked to attend training to learn about the presentation and the resources that help facilitate an effective session. We are here to help. If you are interested in learning more, email the contact for your county in the list at the bottom of this page. If your county isn't listed, you're welcome to complete the Champion training.

Volunteer Interest Page

Questions? Contact Katie Zeitler at karenadz@uw.edu. 

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Anyone who attends a Dementia Friends session becomes a Dementia Friend. Some Dementia Friends are interested in participating further and decide to become trained as a Dementia Friends Champion. Once a Dementia Friends Champion, you can give Dementia Friends presentations to others in your community.  

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Dementia Friend: Someone who attends a Dementia Friends Information Session and takes action to support others.

Dementia-friendly: A broader concept—communities, organizations, and services that are welcoming and inclusive for people living with dementia. Dementia Friends help to foster dementia-friendly spaces and communities.

We’re excited to expand the Dementia Friends program throughout Washington State. We do so by partnering with organizations that take the lead in offering the Dementia Friends program in their county or tribe. Common organizations in this role include Area Agencies on Aging, other aging or dementia-related non-profits, health care or community service organizations. You can bring the Dementia Friends program to your region by encouraging a local organization to take the lead - we’ll provide training and help them every step of the way. Contact Katie Zeitler at karenadz@uw.edu for more information.

Yes! We’re happy to offer Dementia Friends sessions for schools, faith communities, businesses, organizations, and more. There is no charge associated with hosting a session.

Contact your local lead or reach out to us directly to get started, or complete this form.

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Yes! Currently we have our materials translated into Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese, and we have plans to do more translations in the future.

Yes. The International Association for Indigenous Aging, another sublicensee for the Dementia Friends program in the US, has created and offers a cultural adaptation of the materials for the American Indian and Alaska Native.

In Washington state, we also offer adaptations for the IDD community and youth.

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People living with dementia visit places like banks, restaurants, libraries, workplaces, community centers, schools, and more. You may interact with someone, such as a customer, neighbor, or coworker who is confused, repeats themselves, or seems withdrawn or frustrated and unsure of what to do. The Dementia Friends Information Session will help you better understand changes someone may be experiencing as well as ideas for ways to improve communication. Dementia awareness can help us all to be better neighbors, coworkers, community members.  

*County currently does not have a Regional Lead Organization to manage and implement program fully: Contact Katie Zeitler, Dementia Friends WA Program Manager,  karenadz@uw.edu for more information if interested in becoming a Regional Lead Organization

Champions can still be trained to lead information sessions in these counties. If interested in being trained to become a Dementia Friends Champion in counties without Regional Lead Organizations, contact Katie Zeitler, Dementia Friends WA Program Manager,  karenadz@uw.edu for next steps.