Community Vitality 2025 - Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners
Community Vitality 2025
Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners
Making Alzheimer’s Care Accessible to Marginalized Communities
Grant: $232,400 over 3 years
Project Summary: Our vision is to ensure no one impacted by dementia goes unsupported; however, we are not currently reaching lower income, newcomer, racialized and other underserved populations. This project aims to take the first steps in addressing this inequity through enhancing its Community First Link Care Navigation (CFLN) initiative.
Left to right: Stephane Ouellet, Maggie Scanlon (AlzSWP), Clara Parra (London InterCommunity Health Centre)
Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners (AlzSWP) is a leader in dementia care, providing education, counselling, support groups, and therapeutic recreation to individuals living with dementia and their care partners across Elgin, Middlesex, and Oxford counties. CEO Stephane Ouellet describes AlzSWP’s Community First Link Care Navigation (CFLN) initiative as “the go-to resource for connecting people experiencing cognitive changes and their care partners to the right program or service upon receiving a dementia diagnosis.”
A 2023 Alzheimer Society of Canada study showed that over 14,500 individuals in Elgin, Middlesex, and Oxford are living with dementia, with an estimated 8,500 family members providing an average of 26 hours of unpaid care every week. By 2050, these numbers are expected to increase by over 200%, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities.
The $232,400 grant will help the CFLN initiative reach people in low-income or culturally diverse areas of London and region by funding staffing costs for a new community navigator role, a key component among the resources needed including translation services, training, program materials, and other operational expenses.
“Dementia doesn't discriminate and in fact, due to many social determinants of health, may impact marginalized communities disproportionately,” said Ouellet. “Our vision is to ensure no one impacted by dementia goes unsupported.”
This funding will help AlzSWP address inequities in dementia care by reaching underserved populations, including newcomers, non-English speakers, and Indigenous communities, by embedding the community navigator directly into community spaces, starting with the London InterCommunity Health Centre (LIHC). This proactive approach will remove barriers such as language, cultural differences, and lack of awareness, ensuring equitable access to dementia resources and support services.
The community navigator will work closely with LIHC staff to provide culturally appropriate services, address language barriers, and adapt existing programs to better support 500 individuals experiencing cognitive changes.
Full list of 2025 Community Vitality grant recipients:
Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners: Dementia Support for Marginalized Communities ($232,400 over 3 years)
Forest City Film Festival: Vital Signs Program Support ($75,000 over 3 years)
Growing Chefs! Ontario: Learn to Grow, Grow to Give ($225,000 over 3 years)
John Howard Society of London & District, John Howard Society of Ontario, and Goodwill Industries: Fair Chances Employment Pipeline Project ($109,500 over 2 years)
Ontario Nature and Chippewas of the Thames First Nation: Cross-cultural Collaboration to Enhance Climate Resiliency ($170,000 over 3 years)
Progressive Animal Welfare Services: Enhancing Well-Being of London's Vulnerable Communities through PAWS ($60,000 over 3 years)
Southwest Middlesex Health Centre: Mental Health and Wellness Support for Indigenous Patients ($138,544 over 2 years)
STEAM Education Centre: Building Indigenous Equity in STEAM for the Jobs of Tomorrow ($225,000 over 3 years)
Type Diabeat It: Type Diabeat It Kitchen ($300,000 over 1 year)