About Us

Spare a Thought for Dementia (T4D) raises youth awareness of dementia and how it impacts communities. Founded by Dr. Kristine Newman in 2016 at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Spare a Thought for Dementia aims to inspire youth to become more involved in their communities and become advocates for persons living with dementia. In a post Covid-19 era, we have expanded our vision to include healthcare providers so they may understand the role of young caregivers or youth care partners. Unpaid caregivers including youth care partners are integral to the Canadian Healthcare system.  The project consists of an online campaign that shares stories of lived experiences of youth who are care partners for persons with dementia, and an interactive awareness program that educates, challenges, and inspires youth in high school and university to become more involved in the community. We also want to raise awareness of the role of young care partners (or young caregivers) with healthcare providers. This is a Canada-wide collaborative that meets virtually.


Vision

Spare a Thought for Dementia envisions a world where youth are empowered to become care partners and advocates for persons living with dementia with the support of healthcare providers.

Mission

Our mission is to promote awareness and advocate for persons with dementia and their youth care partners by:

  • Providing resources and information that contributes to a better understanding of dementia;
  • Collaborating and including persons with dementia voice;
  • Profiling experiences of youth as care partners of persons living with dementia;
  • Profiling intergenerational relationships between youth, care partners, and persons with dementia;
  • Encouraging youth to engage with local communities and become advocates;
  • Engaging healthcare providers to understand the role of youth as care providers;
  • Encouraging youth care providers and healthcare providers to engage with each other;
  • Support healthcare providers with resources and information to support youth care providers;
  • Supporting local initiatives surrounding dementia care, and;
  • Engaging with organizations that contribute towards dementia awareness within the community.
  • Our goal is to develop partnerships with communities, schools, and other stakeholders to discuss needs, engagement opportunities, and ways to disseminate knowledge.

Our goal is to develop partnerships with communities, schools, and other stakeholders to discuss needs, engagement opportunities, and ways to disseminate knowledge.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Spare a Thought for Dementia Campaign is a project led by the Thoughts for Dementia Collaborative, consisting of researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), care partners including young caregivers, healthcare providers, and advocates in the dementia community. The project is funded in part by Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Meet all of our team members!

 

Glossary:

Care Partner – it is a term to describe the person or relative such as a daughter, son, spouse, sibling, grandchild, or friend who takes care or helps another person with dementia – essentially they are the caregiver or the carer.

T4D – Thoughts for Dementia

Toronto Metropolitan University Logo png

Thoughts for Dementia Collaborative Terms of Reference

1. Role/Purpose

The role of Thoughts for Dementia (T4D) Collaborative will provide advisory, strategic direction, and leadership to envision a world where youth are empowered to become care partners and advocates for persons living with dementia with the support of healthcare providers. This Canadian virtual based, Thoughts for Dementia Collaborative sets out to promote awareness and advocate for persons with dementia and their youth care partners.

 

2. Term

This Terms of Reference is effective from May 1, 2021 and will be ongoing until terminated by agreement between the T4D Collaborative members.  The Terms of Reference will be reviewed once a year in September (1st meeting back from Summer break) by the T4D Collaborative.

 

3. Membership

The Collaborative Group will comprise of researchers, care partners including young caregivers, healthcare providers, and advocates in the dementia community. Dr. Kristine Newman is the lead and a member of T4D Collaborative will be nominated to assist with website and social media.

 

4. Roles and Responsibilities

This is an advisory group:

 fosters collaboration

 that each member will be provided with complete, accurate and meaningful information in a timely manner

 to be given reasonable time to make key decisions

 to be alerted to potential risks and issues that could impact the project, as they arise

 open and honest discussions, without resort to any misleading assertions

 ongoing ‘health checks’ to verify the overall status and ‘health’ of the collaboration.