Dale Carlisle – We Can Ride 2016 – Riding Across Western Canada to raise Awareness about Dementia
If you don’t already know Dale, you’ll learn to love him VERY quickly as we follow his 2300 kilometer cycling trip across Western Canada’s prairies and mountains to raise awareness about positive strategies that help caregivers, friends, coworkers and family members of people who have dementia.
We’ll post more about what Dale is up to as he prepares to head out on this trip. Thank you, Dale for your heart for our residents and for your aspiration to do such an amazing thing to raise awareness about dementia. We look forward to following along with you as you take this incredible journey!
Here’s what Dale says about his upcoming journey,
As you may have heard, I am setting out on a 2300Km bicycle ride this summer across Western Canada. As well as attempting a long time personal goal, I plan to raise awareness about dementia care by engaging others in a discussion regarding the importance of learning how to best talk and interact with those who have it.
This is an ongoing topic among staff within our campus as we strive to deliver resident focused care and I hope to pass on some of the lessons I have learned here to others. The Alzheimer Society of Canada is also offering an educational program called Dementia Friends that discusses this same subject and one of my main goals to raise awareness to direct people toward that program.
I believe my trip and its goals may be of interest to the staff and residents of Menno Place and hope we can meet to discuss how a story might be added to the newsletter. The main ride will take place in September however I am planning to host a series of local social rides that may be of interest to staff and the health and wellness committee. I know we have two cruiser bikes, and are considering purchasing some adaptive models, so the idea of a Canaidan bicycle trip and local day trips may be a good fit for the campus as a whole.
Throughout the summer, I plan to engage our residents at Menno Home via recreational activities and programs that focus on Western Canada and in particular, the Prairies, where many of them have lived.
Here are the links to my trip website and the Dementia Friends website – please take a look and follow along.
Regards,
Dale
