The Alzheimer Society Lanark Leeds Grenville invites you to participate in this year’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. There are approximately 4,000 people living with dementia in Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville.
Last year alone, we had over 12,000 visits to our Day Program (offered in five locations). Each visit equals a 6-hour day. That is 72,000 hours of care we offered families living with dementia. In our Overnight Weekend Respite Program, we had 600 overnight stays (in two locations).
“Forget No One” is the Alzheimer Society’s national anti-stigma campaign for January 2026. It focuses on shifting perceptions of dementia, encouraging early help-seeking, and reinforcing that people living with dementia — and those who support them — deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Throughout January you can participate in Awareness Month in several ways. You can “Light it Up Blue” and use blue lights or décor to shine a light on dementia in our community either at home or at your place of businesses. We are pleased to have the town of Carleton Place; the town of Smiths Falls, and Heritage House Museum in Smiths Falls committed to lighting blue this month!
You can also keep an eye out for community displays with helpful information about dementia, local supports, and resources at places like the Carleton Place, Mississippi Mills and Brockville libraries. To request a digital toolkit of resources to set up your own display, please reach out to Sarah at scavanagh@alzllg.ca.
You can purchase (by donation) a paper forget-me-not flower and dedicate it to someone you love at a participating retailer. We are grateful to the Lighthouse Café in Smiths Falls and The Wedgewood in Brockville for being the first organizations on board for this campaign.
If you are a bakery, restaurant, or café owner, you can sign up for the Dining for Dementia campaign this year, which we hope to expand each January going forward. Contact Sarah at scavanagh@alzllg.ca for more information.
Dementia Friendly Communities
As part of the National Day of Action on January 28 to spark visibility and community engagement, we are offering free Dementia Friendly Communities training in person at our Smiths Falls office (179 Elmsley St. N., Unit 155) or virtually via zoom on January 28 at 10am or 6pm. A Dementia Friendly Community is a place where people living with dementia are understood, respected, and supported. It is an environment where they will feel more confident in their abilities to contribute to community life, will be included in conversations, and have a choice and control over their day-to-day lives.
People with dementia and their care partners have the right to live well in the community, together. As more people are diagnosed every year and choose to live at home, we need to determine how we can better support people living with dementia.
Join thousands of Ontarians in showing your support for people living with dementia and their care partners. Together, we can create a Dementia Friendly Community. Contact Robin at rhull@alzllg.ca to register!
Health Hub
We are excited to announce that in 2026 we will be developing a Dementia Health Hub in Smiths Falls. This hub will be a one-stop site for caregivers to bring their loved one living with dementia to receive health services that they may need. It is our way to continue to support families and care partners and help reduce the stress that is often associated with general appointments (for example, hair and foot care, hearing and eye tests).
The Alzheimer Society Lanark Leeds Grenville is a charity that operates free and low-cost programming, education, respite and support groups throughout Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville. We have offices in Carleton Place, Almonte, Smiths Falls, Perth and Brockville.
We encourage everyone to follow us on social media (facebook.com/AlzehimerSocietyLLG or instagram.com/alzheimersocietyllg) or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about free education, local programs, services, and opportunities to support local families.
If you’re interested in making a positive impact on those affected by Alzheimer’s in your community, either as an individual participant or a business sponsor, please contact Sarah Cavanagh at scavanagh@alzllg.ca.