- First Link® supports people with dementia and family caregivers through individual and family counselling, support groups and phone consultations.
- Well informed people with dementia and their family members are better able to cope with the challenges of care giving. (Mittleman study)
- Unsupported people with dementia and their family members are more likely to experience crises that lead to costly health care interventions.
- First Link® encourages direct referrals from health care professionals so that people receive the
support they need in a timely manner.
- First Link® empowers newly diagnosed individuals to understand their disease better, develop practical coping strategies and maximize remaining abilities.
- First Link® overcomes isolation by bringing family caregivers and individuals with dementia together to learn and support each other.
- First Link® teaches caregiving skills to family members through learning series that are geared to the various stages of the disease.
- First Link® staff support clients through tough issues such as driving cessation, placement, advance care planning and family disputes etc.
- First Link® clients are more likely to comply with health care recommendations since they have a better understanding and acceptance of the disease.
- First Link® seeks to reduce the social and economic burden of dementia care by reducing emergency department visits, alternate level of care (ALC) bed utilization and by delaying Long Term Care placement.
- First Link® staff contact new referrals to offer them support, education and coping strategies, and connect them with community programs early on so that they are better able to manage the disease as it progresses.
- All First Link® services are free.
“Meeting other people with dementia…I’m not alone. That helps”
– Person with Alzheimer disease