Dementia Resources for Eating, Activity, and Meaningful Inclusion
The (DREAM) Research Team, assembled in 2020, is led by Professors Laura Middleton and Heather Keller (UWaterloo). The Team, which also includes researchers from the University of British Columbia, works with persons living with dementia, care partners, and diverse healthcare professionals and service providers to support the inclusion of persons living with dementia in exercise and nutrition.
The DREAM Team has developed an evidence-based toolkit comprised of resources, learning modules, and videos designed to inform service providers and persons living with dementia and their care partners themselves on rights and inclusion, dementia-friendly mealtimes/exercise, and more. The learning modules have been designed to equip service providers with the skills and understanding they need to interact with, include, and accommodate for persons living with dementia. The overarching goal of DREAM is to promote inclusive exercise and nutrition care for Canadians living with dementia and to overcome the stigma of dementia.
We hope the project increases the number, quality, and variety of physical activity, healthy eating, and wellness opportunities that meet the needs and preferences of this population.
Please visit this link to learn more about DREAM: https://dementiawellnesscanada.com/
“Instead of specialized programs for people living with dementia, our learning modules and resources aim to give community service providers, such as exercise instructors, dieticians and those who provide cultural, religious or other community programming, the ability to adapt their current programs to be more inclusive of people living with dementia”