BLOOMINGTON— Indiana University Health, in collaboration with Dementia Friendly Indiana and the Alzheimer’s Association, will host dementia-friendly community kick-off events in Martin and Jackson counties on August 26, bringing vital education and local support to rural communities.
The free events, featuring keynote speaker Natali Edmonds—founder of Dementia Careblazers and a board-certified geropsychologist—will include resource tables, community speakers, and opportunities to connect with others in the aging community. Martin County’s event will run from 8 a.m. to noon at the 4-H Fairgrounds Event Center in Loogootee, while Jackson County’s event is scheduled from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at Pewter Hall and Event Center in Brownstown. Attendees are invited to register by calling or emailing IU Health contacts or scanning the provided QR codes. Refreshments will be served.
These kick-offs are part of an expansion of the Rural Dementia Network (RDN), operated through the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Service at IU Health’s Bedford Hospital. A $1.17 million HRSA grant will extend RDN services into Martin and Jackson counties, bolstering its existing efforts in Lawrence and Orange counties. The funding will back a new co-director, Brain Health education initiatives, monthly Memory Clinics for newly diagnosed individuals and caregivers, and training programs for healthcare and community providers to nurture dementia-friendly environments.
Diana Matthews and Lucie Scott, both certified dementia practitioners, lead RDN’s programming: Matthews as program director overseeing client support, professional education, and grant administration, and Scott as co-liaison connecting with communities including Lawrence and Jackson counties. In Orange County, Natasha Hopper serves as co-liaison, organizing Memory Cafés and Caregiver University sessions in collaboration with area libraries.
The Dementia Friendly Indiana movement, part of the national Dementia Friendly America initiative, works to reduce stigma and promote environments that support people living with dementia and their care partners through grassroots collaboration, action teams, and tailored community strategies.
For more information, visit the Dementia Friendly Indiana website at this link.
Click here to listen to Diana Matthews on an episode of WBIW’s Talk of the Town discussing the Rural Dementia Network and their Kick-off events.
