News & Events
News & Events
2024 Impact Report
Over the past year, the Dementia Empowerment Network has grown from an idea into a vibrant network of 11 empowerment groups, supported seven community-led projects with seed grants, hosted over 19 public events, and built partnerships with 13 organizations. Our team has reached 15,959 people through events, media, presentations, and resources. You can check out our impact report below.
July is Disability Pride Month. Dementia is not always talked about as a disability, but for many people living with memory changes, that framing matters. It shifts the conversation away from loss and toward rights, accommodation, and belonging. It says that the way a person moves through the world may need to change, but their place in it does not.
Pride is complicated when the systems around you have not always made space for who you are. We know our groups are welcoming places, and we also know that a warm room is not the same as an intentionally inclusive one. We want to keep getting better at the second part.
#disabilitypride #DisabilityPrideMonth #dementiasupport #HamiltonON #memorychanges #inclusion
July 24 is International Self-Care Day. Living with memory changes takes something out of you. So does supporting someone you love through it. The two experiences are different, but they share something in common... it is easy for your own needs to end up last on the list.
Self-care does not have to be complicated. Sometimes it is rest. Sometimes it is getting outside. Sometimes it is just spending an hour doing something that has nothing to do with caregiving or appointments or next steps. Whatever that looks like for you, it counts.
We see the effort it takes to show up, and we are glad you do. Take care of yourselves too.
#SelfCareDay #dementiasupport #CaregiverWellness #memorychanges #HamiltonON
DEN’s work is rooted in relationships, belonging, and the places people call home. Our members, care partners, volunteers, and community partners are connected to Indigenous communities, and our groups gather on Indigenous lands. As wildfires devastate First Nations across Northern Ontario, this is directly connected to the health and community realities DEN cares about.
The recent fires have destroyed much of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitewater Lake, including homes and community infrastructure. At Whitewater Lake, fire also reached lands holding the graves of ancestors and recently departed family members.
For many First Nations, land is inseparable from culture, identity, and wellbeing. Evacuation removes people from those connections while disrupting health care, medication access, transportation, and community support. In remote communities, highway closures, delayed emergency assistance, and reliance on air transport can deepen these impacts.