[Article] Celebrating Volunteers: The Heart of Compassionate, Dementia-Inclusive Communities

Building compassionate dementia-inclusive communities starts with a focus on people—seeing neighbours, friends, and colleagues with dementia not as cases to be treated, but as individuals with unique strengths, passions, and contributions. In a country facing economic strain and an overstretched health-care system, projects like the Compassionate Dementia-Inclusive Community (CDIC) Initiative remind us, social health—connection, empathy, and belonging—is just as vital as medical care. And driving that message forward are countless volunteers whose compassion is fueling awareness and change across British Columbia.

To honour these change-makers ahead of International Volunteer Day on December 5^th 2025, we spoke with CDIC coordinators from BC about the pivotal role volunteers play in their work.

Breaking Stigma in Surrey

For CDIC Coordinator Akanksha Bathla of PICS (Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society), volunteers are the heartbeat of her team’s dementia awareness efforts in Surrey’s South Asian community.

“Dementia as a health issue is so untapped here,” she said, “there’s not much conversation around it.” In Hindi, Bathla explains, the word ‘dementia’ itself translates to ‘an illness of forgetting,’ which doesn’t capture what people and families with lived experience truly face. “But volunteers play an instrumental role in normalizing conversations about it.” They’re educating the community, raising awareness, and building trust and connection. “[Volunteers] make it easier for people to open up,” Bathla said. Her team has created two support groups for people with dementia, as well as one for care partners to express themselves, feel seen and heard, and garner support.

Having someone who shows up on their own time and of their own volition, to listen, connect, and help without asking for anything in return, helps clients trust their motives, and express themselves more candidly. It breaks down some of the taboos around dementia that have lingered in the community and reduces the self-shaming often associated with it.

Sharing Stories, Building Safety in Trail

Further inland, CDIC Coordinator Maggie Shirley from the Greater Trail Hospice Society has seen firsthand how storytelling transforms communities.

“When someone living with dementia shares their story, you might have other people living with dementia who hear it and then feel brave enough to share their stories too,” she said. “It’s empowering for the storyteller—and eye-opening and deeply moving for the listener.”

Shirley believes storytelling creates a ripple effect of safety and connection. “A lot of health issues are related to isolation, so connecting in community—building bridges—is so important.”

In mid-October, the Greater Trail Hospice Society and Beaver Valley Recreation hosted a five-hour dementia training workshop for community members, volunteers, and care partners, that did just that.

The event drew a total of twelve participants: volunteers from places like Columbia Seniors Wellness Society and Trail Better at Home, as well as interested community members and care partners for people living with dementia.

The workshop explained the different kinds of dementia and their symptoms, then offered a candid discussion about the stigma associated with the condition and how communities can challenge it. After lunch, participants took part in a sensory deprivation simulation to better understand the daily challenges faced by people living with dementia. The day wrapped with some practical guidance on communicating effectively and respectfully with people with lived experience—making connection safe and inclusive.

For many, the most meaningful part of this training was hearing from care partners. Their lived experiences offered a deeper layer of understanding and authenticity to the course content that allowed everyone to listen with compassion, ask honest questions, and validate each other’s experiences. Their stories became the bridge Shirley talked about- the kind that fostered the connection and inclusion all communities should aspire to.

Connection and Companionship in Prince George

In Northern B.C., Laurie De Croos of the Prince George Hospice and Palliative Care Society and Gagandeep Kaur from Prince George Council of Seniors are focused on bringing people together through their CDIC coordination team.

Their initiative matches volunteers with clients for engaging, shared experiences—walks, football games, museum visits. “It’s about companionship,” said De Croos. “Those moments of connection can change someone’s week.”

To include folks who prefer group interaction to a one-on-one experience, they host paint nights, picnics, and other activities that make the community feel accessible to everyone.

Kaur adds, “We also match volunteers with care partners who need someone to listen, to help them feel seen and supported, too.”

Through empathy, storytelling, and shared experiences, these volunteers are proving that inclusion doesn’t start with policy—it starts with people. And that is truly something to celebrate! To all volunteers, across every field, initiative and cause, we salute you today and every day. Thank you for the change you create, the connections you foster, and the way you make the world a better place!