Greater International Falls Community

Our journey with the ACT on Alzheimer’s community toolkit led the Greater International Falls Community to identify three major priorities – local one-on-one support, relief to caregivers and collaborative referral processes. The committee invited Koochiching Aging Options, a local non-profit that had spearheaded the community planning effort, to follow through.

In line with the identified priorities, Koochiching Aging Options established a new part-time position, the Dementia Support Specialist, to provide one-on-one support to persons living with dementia and their care partners, now serving nearly sixty registered clients. It also founded a Memory Café that currently meets twice monthly to provide relief and support, mostly to care givers; participants gather in-person or by phone to garner peer encouragement and education on the disease as well as to socialize in an accepting environment.

At the same time, Koochiching Aging Options established relationships and referral protocols with local service providers, including public health, the two major health clinics and the hospital in International Falls. Koochiching Aging Options has been assisted in these efforts by four Minnesota Board on Aging Dementia grants.

Other activities have included public presentations, health care worker instruction, Dementia Friends presentations and the distribution of Memory Kits. While the initial ACT committee no longer meets regularly, we continue to pursue actively the ideals, and the rubric, of a Dementia Friendly Community.