The McGill University Dementia Education Program, in collaboration with clinical and community partners, is launching Caring Spaces, a person-centred initiative to support people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners in underserved populations. A multi-component, site-based and hybrid initiative combining education, interprofessional collaboration, psychosocial support, and peer mentorship.
Key information
Who is this project for? Family and friend care partners, with a focus on those supporting individuals recently diagnosed with dementia People living with dementia (PLWD), especially in the early stages Underserved and equity-deserving populations in Montreal—caregivers and persons living with dementia (PLWD) who face barriers to access, including individuals with young-onset dementia as well as racially and linguistically diverse communities across the island of Montreal.
Project Lead: McGill University Research Center for Studies in Aging
Project partners: SMHC – St Mary’s Hospital Centre JGH -Jewish General Hospital MUHC-MGH – McGill University Health Centre – Montreal General Hospital
Project status: ongoing, 2025-2029
Project location: Caring Spaces services will be offered at four different clinical sites in Montreal, Quebec.
Project team members:
- Dr. José A. Morais
Get in touch:
Project story
Background:
Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the project will offer in-person and hybrid educational and psychosocial support at or near the time of diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life, access to information, adoption of preventative behaviours, and navigation of healthcare and community resources.
In addition to service delivery, Caring Spaces will include a research component to evaluate the impact of the interventions and inform future scalability. Data collected will help assess outcomes related to wellbeing, access, and system navigation, and contribute to evidence-based dementia care practices.
By bridging academic expertise and community engagement, Caring Spaces aims to create a scalable model that can be replicated across other regions.
Goals:
- Objective 1: Optimize the health and wellbeing of PLWD and their family/friend caregivers by developing physical spaces within four clinical settings and implementing educational and support activities—starting by October 2025 and fully implemented by January 1, 2027.
- Objective 2: Increase knowledge of dementia and its risk and protective factors by evaluating a clinic-based education and support program and sharing findings with both scientific and lay audiences.
Current project activities:
Deliverables
- Care Partner Lounges at each site, hosted by trained peer mentors
- Assessment and short-term counselling provided by trained social work students
- Interprofessional and multidisciplinary engaging activities for people living with dementia (PLWD), including opportunities for students in health care professions—such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and medicine—to interact meaningfully with PLWD and their caregivers.
- Public education events on dementia and caregiving
- Research component to evaluate impact and inform scalability
- Scalable roadmap for replication in other communities