URBANA, Ill – What does it mean to be a Dementia Friendly community? Learn all about it at the upcoming Dementia Friendly Champaign-Urbana Kick-Off event! Join representatives from Illinois Extension and other local organizations for the Dementia Friendly Champaign-Urbana Kickoff. This free, public event will be held on March 23 from 3 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Urbana Free Library in the Lewis Auditorium (210 W Green St., Urbana, IL 61801).
This event offers various resources and information about DFCU, as well as opportunities to learn about the resources already available in the community and how to get connected. There will also be presentations from representatives of DFCU and East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging. Topics will include how businesses can become dementia friend and how their businesses can be more dementia friendly.
In addition to learning how to make one's staff and business more dementia friendly, there will also be resources available specifically for helping first responders, financial institutions, and legal services positively interact with those with dementia.
“First responders, financial institutions and legal services are often front-line workers when interacting with people with dementia,” said Family Life Educator Emily Harmon. “Therefore, it is critical that these business sectors receive appropriate training to help those with dementia to feel understood and supported in their community.”
Champaign-Urbana was officially recognized by Dementia Friendly America® as a Dementia Friendly Community in December 2025. To read more about this recognition and the Dementia Friendly Champaign-Urbana Task Force Action Team, who worked to make this possible, read the full article from Illinois Extension.
To learn more, visit go.illinois.edu/DFCU-Kickoff or contact Family Life Educator Emily Harmon.
For reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Emily Harmon at ebaine@illinois.edu.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.