Facilitator:
Jennifer Carson, Director, Dementia Engagement, Education and Research Program, University of Nevada, Reno
Phone: 775-682-7072
Email: [email protected]
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Get Involved
Join Dementia Friendly Elko: Community members can join the Dementia Friendly Elko community action group and help make Elko County more dementia friendly and inclusive. Dementia Friendly Elko is currently working toward two goals: 1) to provide at least one Dementia Friends information session per month, offered at the Elko County Library and by invitation; and 2) to launch and evaluate Friends’ Day Out, a new group respite program at the Terrace at Ruby View featuring the Java Music Club. For more information about our community action group, call Jennifer at 775-682-7072 or [email protected].
Schedule a Dementia Friends Information Session (currently available only online due to COVID-19): Dementia Friendly Elko is currently offering free, one-hour Dementia Friends information sessions to interested individuals and groups. The goal of the Dementia Friends program is to help community members understand five key messages about dementia, how it affects people, and how we each can make a difference in the lives of people living with dementia. For more information, call Jennifer at 775-682-7072 or [email protected].
Or come to the Dementia Friends Information Session that Dementia Friendly Nevada hosts on the third Wednesday of each month from 12:00 – 1:00 PM!
Build a Network of Support at Friends’ Day Out (temporarily discontinued due to COVID-19): Friends’ Day Out, a partnership between Dementia Friendly Elko, the Terrace at Ruby View, and Nevada Rural Counties RSVP, is a new group respite program at the Terrace at Ruby View. As part of Friends’ Day Out, people living with dementia have an opportunity to develop a network of mutual peer support through the facilitation of the Java Music Club, an evidence-based peer support program targeting social isolation. Offered once a month and staffed by two RSVP volunteers, the four-hour format of Friends’ Day Out includes the following activities:
12:00 – 12:45 PM Lunch together
12:45 – 1:00 PM Break
1:00 – 2:30 PM Java Music Club
2:30 – 2:45 PM Break
2:45 – 3:30 PM Physical activity
3:30 – 4:00 PM Visit and pick up
If you or a loved one would like to participate in Friends’ Day Out, or if you would like to become a RSVP volunteer to support the program, please contact Steven Nichols at 775-315-7615 or email [email protected].
Give a Donation: If you’d like to donate to support the activities of Dementia Friendly Elko County, call Jennifer at 775-253-5791 or email: [email protected].
Provide Meeting/Event Space: Local organizations and businesses can offer to host a dementia friendly community event at their location. For more information, call Jennifer at 775-682-7072 or [email protected].
More Information
Community-Driven Change: The Dementia Friendly Elko community action group aims to develop and promote a community that is respectful, educated, supportive and inclusive of people living with dementia and their care partners. This goal is mobilized through a collaborative, multi-sector approach to community-driven change utilizing the Dementia Friendly America process. Adopting an ‘authentic partnerships’ approach, the direct engagement of people living with dementia and their care partners is central to our values and process.
Nevada Dementia Supports Toolbox: A second aim of Dementia Friendly Elko is to promote and expand the reach of the Nevada Dementia Supports Toolbox, evidence-based programs that are currently available within the state to educate and support people living with dementia and their care partners.
Dementia Friendly Nevada: Dementia Friendly Elko is part of the Dementia Friendly Nevada initiative, which launched six community action groups with support from a federal grant that was awarded to the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division. Current Dementia Friendly community action groups include: Dementia Friendly Elko, Age- and Dementia-Friendly Winnemucca, Dementia Friendly Pahrump, Pesa Sooname Advisory Group (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe), Dementia Friendly Southern Nevada (Urban) and Dementia Friendly Washoe County. Dementia Friendly Nevada community action groups receive co-facilitation support from Dr. Jennifer Carson, Director, Dementia Engagement, Education and Research Program, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, and evaluation support from the Sanford Center for Aging, University of Nevada, Reno.