Dementia Care & Cure Initiative (DCCI) of Central Florida
The Department of Elder Affairs announced the Dementia Care and Cure Initiative (DCCI) in 2015 to engage communities across the state to be more dementia caring, promote better care for Floridians affected by dementia, and support research efforts to find a cure. Being a dementia-caring community means that there are services and supports in place to make that community hospitable to someone living with dementia, their care partners, and loved ones. We want those living with dementia to still play a vital role within their communities, and that each interaction they have while out will be a positive one, created out of respect and understanding.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, and Florida has the second highest incidence in the country, with approximately 560,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s. This number is expected to increase to 720,000 by 2025, and these statistics are not inclusive of other forms of dementia, nor the hundreds of thousands who serve as unpaid care partners.
In collaboration with Florida’s 11 Area Agencies on Aging and 17 Memory Disorder Clinics, participating DCCI communities organize Task Forces consisting of community professionals and stakeholders who work to bring education about, awareness of, and sensitivity regarding the needs of those affected by dementia.
Central Florida’s Dementia-friendly Dining website!
Dementia-friendly Dining restaurants are food service establishments that provide friendly, safe, and enjoyable places where families and friends may bring their Loved Ones who are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of Dementia. Sharing a meal out of the house reduces isolation, increases social contact, encourages opportunities for engagement, stimulation, communication and creates memories that will be shared among families and friends. Quality of life experiences expand making our community more dementia-friendly. Compassion, understanding, shared caregiving and a more relaxed and enjoyable meal is a joy for all! Do you currently have any family members or friends who are living with Alzheimer’s or Dementia?
Central Florida Task Force Members
Ingrid Collins
Associate State Director, Community Engagement
AARP
Lisa Whaley
VP of Programs
Alzheimer’s Association
Michelle Branham
VP of Public Policy
Alzheimer’s Association
Edith Gendron
Chief of Operations, Brain Bank Program Manager
Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia Resource Center
Jody Hampton
Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center (ADRC)
Gayle Shepherd
Maturing Minds Nurse Coordinator
Advent Health
Peggy Bargmann
Founder/Program Director
Brain Fitness Academy
Cherylann Cronin
Lead Case Manager
Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation, Inc.
Fran Carlin-Rogers
Senior Transportation Consultant & CarFit Instructor
Carlin-Rogers Consulting
Crystal Bernard
Coordinator, Brain Fitness Club
First United Methodist Church of Winter Park
Toni Gitles
Certified Caregiving Consultant ™ and Educator ™
Heart Light Enterprises
Jose Rodriguez
Judge, Retired
Orange County Ninth Judicial Circuit Court
Wynter Solomon-Cuthbert
Court Program Specialist
Orange County Ninth Judicial Circuit Court
Debi Reason-Kerkhoff
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Laura Lang
Senior Advocate/Senior Crime Prevention Programs Coordinator
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Katie Bridge
Memory Disorder Clinic Coordinator
Orlando Health
Mimi Reggentin
Program Manager
Orange County Office on Aging
Tori Clay
Senior Helpers
Karla Radka
President & CEO
Senior Resource Alliance
Maria Cherjovsky
Senior Resource Alliance
Tracy Schooley
Executive Administrative Assistant, EHEAP Coordinator
Senior Resource Alliance
Tamika Harris
Chief Operating Officer
Share the Care
Tracy Wharton
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Central Florida
LCDR Jason Allen, USN Ret. & Jennifer Allen
Veteran's Outreach Committee
Debbie Ashcraft
Physician, Care Partner
Marilyn Nelson
Family Caregiver