Supporting people living with dementia and care partners with appropriate services and programs is a growing challenge in British Columbia. Across Metro Vancouver, community-based organizations provide dementia education, caregiver support, navigation, recreation, social participation, and culturally responsive activities and programs. However, these organizations often work independently, with few structured opportunities or mechanisms to connect with researchers, community partners, health authorities, and, where appropriate, people with lived experience and care partners. This status quo creates missed opportunities for shared learning, referral awareness, and collaboration for effective knowledge mobilization. This activity is focused on a feasible first step in this process: bringing key organizations and partners together to connect, build relationships and identify shared priorities.
This activity will build the foundation for a metro Vancouver community-based dementia programs network with two engagement components in August-November 2026: 1) one virtual planning meeting with SFU, Alzheimer Society of BC and Yukon, and selected advisors to refine the event focus, invitation list, format, accessibility considerations, and guiding questions; and 2) one in-person half-day network-building event at SFU Vancouver. After the event, a brief plain-language summary of shared priorities and possible next steps will be circulated to participants by email and retained for future collaboration planning.
The in-person session will involve approximately 8 – 10 community-based dementia-related support and service provider organizations, SFU researchers, trainees, Alzheimer Society of BC and Yukon as the Research User Co-lead, and health/community partners. People with lived experience and care partners may also be invited where feasible and appropriate. The session will include introductions, a brief sector/context presentation, a brief facilitated panel discussion, group discussion, shared reflection, and lunch.
This activity will not involve formal research data collection, program evaluation, or analysis. Anticipated outcomes include strengthened relationships among researchers and research users, increased awareness of existing community-based dementia initiatives, improved referral awareness, identification of 2 – 3 shared priorities for future collaboration, and a brief plain-language summary to support future co-produced research and knowledge mobilization.
Additional team members and participating organizations:
– Dr. Habib Chaudhury (Simon Fraser University, Supervisor); Simon Fraser University Department of Gerontology
– Alzheimer Society of BC and Yukon;
– participating community-based organizations providing dementia programs across Metro Vancouver.