[Guide] Working Together: Creating a Dementia-Friendly Community in the Comox Valley

In 2025, The Dementia Action Co-Lab worked in partnership with the Comox Valley Partners Group (comprised primarily of care partners) to develop a resource specific to their community and shared with local businesses to help build awareness, reduce stigma, and foster a more dementia-friendly culture.

There was a great deal of interest across the mid to North Island region in finding better ways to support older adults. And the community was keen to join in the co-design seminars and workshops the Co-Lab offered to help develop this resource, co-designed in partnership with the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

The resource launched in early 2026, and was further promoted at an April 7th Community Engagement Event held at Courtenay’s Native Sons Hall. The team created a street installation along the city’s well-known Fifth Street to coincide with the event too. The month-long display featured lamppost banners, and window and bench decals sharing important information related to de-stigmatizing dementia.

Visit our page for the Comox Valley Project here.

Check out our YouTube video, created by Sam Pineda, that talks about the Comox Valley Project and the inspiration behind it: