About YouQuest Young Onset Dementia Association
Autonomy. Independence. Confidence. Camaraderie. Freedom. Connections.
These are words that most people take for granted, but thousands of men and women in their 40s, 50s and 60s come to understand the fragility of these words when they hear that they have dementia. Dementia doesn’t just impact the elderly, but existing services are designed for seniors and do not meet the unique needs of people with young-onset dementia. Unfortunately, this leaves families feeling vulnerable, isolated and disrupted because of a gap in services and resources.
YouQuest fills this gap in services by building community connections for people with young-onset dementia to enjoy an active lifestyle.
YouQuest applies the therapeutic recreation model to address social, physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual needs in a welcoming community setting. Recreation therapists use best practices to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate activities and methods tailored to each individual.
The YouQuest Vision: Creating a community for people with young-onset dementia and their families to foster an active lifestyle.
The YouQuest Mission: To promote health and well-being for people with young-onset dementia and their families by ensuring access to recreation therapy, counselling, and peer support resources.
As recommended for young-onset dementia, YouQuest delivers services that are unique, affordable, tailored and promote meaningful community engagement and participants and families experience restored:
Autonomy. Independence. Confidence. Camaraderie. Freedom. Connections.
Our Impact
With Participants, YouQuest:
- Offers a community of belonging with relevant and appealing leisure and social opportunities with peers
- Provides increased ranges of physical activities for optimal health and improved quality of life
- Increases confidence, engagement, autonomy and independence through personal choices, needs, preferences within positive and predictable community interaction
With Care Partners or Family Members, YouQuest:
- Keeps families together, delaying relocation of loved ones to long-term care facilities incompatible with age and cognitive abilities
- Provides respite and peace of mind knowing that loved ones are meaningfully engaged in a safe and supportive community
- Networks families for increased social opportunities and opportunities to understand living with dementia at a young age
In Health and Research, YouQuest:
- Collaboratively approaches and facilitates individual rights to optimal health and independence
- Provides post-secondary research opportunities and student practicum positions in an active setting
- Shares knowledge with health providers about the potential of younger people with dementia
In The Community, YouQuest:
- Educates and promotes an inclusive approach to wellness and health
- Builds social connections, supports autonomy and independence in a meaningful role without the stigma of dementia
- Is designed to expand into other urban, rural and remote communities by utilizing existing recreation facilities
How your gift will be used
The YouQuest Board of Directors have big dreams for the future of providing services to this population of people who are under-served and under-represented in the health care industry. Your gift may be used to assist with working toward the following strategic priorities:
- Expand services for people in Calgary with young-onset dementia
- Develop and implement a service model that can be duplicated or implemented in other cities in Alberta
- Implement a YouQuest service model in each major city across Canada
- Ensure sustainability for operations
