Ontario Trillium Foundation gives $552,000.00 to the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton to Fund their Minds in Motion® Program
Peterborough, ON: On Tuesday, the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton, (Alzheimer Society of PKLNH), hosted a special recognition dinner at the Peterborough Lions Club to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their generous $552,000 GROW grant to support the Minds in Motion® program.
MPP Dave Smith, of Peterborough-Kawartha, MPP Laurie Scott of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, and MPP David Piccini of Northumberland-Peterborough South were all interested to learn more from the Alzheimer Society of PKLNH about how the grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) was used to dramatically improve the lives of people living with dementia and their care partners.
“Thank you to the Alzheimer’s society for stepping forward and saying ‘we can make a difference in so many peoples lives with the Minds in Motion program,” said MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha, Dave Smith. “The Ontario Trillium Foundation and the province recognizes that this $552,000 is an investment in our community that will make a positive impact on those living with dementia,” added MPP Smith.
Minds in Motion® is an eight-week program for individuals with mild to moderate dementia and their care partners with one 90-minute session delivered weekly. It includes 40 to 45 minutes of exercise and 30 to 45 minutes of cognitive stimulation and social interaction. Minds in Motion® is no ordinary fitness routine, it’s a transformative program that allows participants to leave dementia at the door and enter a room filled with joy and vitality. Funding for the Minds in Motion® program has profoundly improved the lives of hundreds of people throughout the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton regions.
“I would like to acknowledge and thank the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland & Haliburton for their continued contributions to the residents of our communities”, said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “The funds from OTF will allow the Society to continue to provide innovative programs such as the Minds in Motion® for those living with dementia. We truly are privileged to have this wonderful staff caring for members in our ridings.”
“We can’t overstate the impact the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant has had in allowing us to bring Minds in Motion® to the people in our four counties,” says Jen Johnstone, Executive Director, Alzheimer Society of PKLNH. “This program has been proven to be the ‘best medicine’ for people living with dementia by slowing the progression of the disease and its effects. Minds in Motion® changes peoples’ lives for the better, they laugh together, sweat together, joke with one another and forge lifelong bonds in the process. Having dementia and being a caregiver is an isolating experience. It shouldn’t be. Minds in Motion® fills this gap.”
“The Ontario Government is investing in what matters most, our loved ones mental and physical wellbeing” said MPP David Piccini. “I am grateful to the Alzheimer’s Society and their efforts to create the Minds in Motion program to give our families such quality care.”
The Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton provides direct support (at no charge) to families and individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. These supports include dementia coaching/counselling, health care navigation support, educational workshops, and social recreation programs. For more information, please visit our website: https://alzheimer.ca/pklnh/en
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grant-making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
Media Contact:
Heather Hume
MPP Laurie Scott
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
Phone: 416-819-6147
Email: heather.hume@pc.ola.org
Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:
Jennifer Hitchmough, Communications Associate
The Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton
(705) 748-5131
jhitchmough@alzheimerjourney.ca