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.