The Carter G. Woodson Regional (Chicago) Public Library: Building Connections for a Dementia-Friendly Community

A dominant cultural norm among Black Americans living with dementia and their caregiving families is that the condition is a natural part of aging and best dealt with by the family and within the family. The flow of knowledge and understanding through family networks alone can be a significant barrier to raising dementia awareness and improving quality of life. To address this issue, we describe a multifaceted community-engaged approach with the goal of building connections for a dementia-friendly community inclusive of the family, persons living with dementia in the community, and key community organizations. Adopting a socio-ecological model of health approach, groundbreaking work began with members of community faith-based organizations caring for persons living with dementia. Further partnership with local service providers led to the creation of a multistakeholder collaborative advisory board. Members included a community-based library, faith-based organizations in the community, an Alzheimer's Association chapter serving the community, university research centers researching dementia, the American Heart Association, and city departments directing Library and Family and Support Services providers. Work completed enabled the successful denomination of the neighborhood of Washington Heights as Dementia Friendly.