Tempe mayor pushes for ‘dementia-friendly’ city
Nov 28, 2014, 12:00 PM | Updated: 12:00 pm
Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell knows how difficult life can be for the more than five million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Mitchell’s mother suffers from the effects of the disease, and it is the driving force behind the mayor’s push to make Tempe a “dementia-friendly” city.
Mitchell told KJZZ when he talked with his family, and mother specifically, he realized how common the ailment really was.
The Tempe city council and Mitchell are brainstorming ways to make their city dementia-friendly. One of those ways could include a partnership between the city and organizations across the Valley.
“We’ve all got to circle around this and say, what can we do to make our work place, our local grocery store, our first responders, our hospitals, our faith communities and our community centers more dementia friendly?” said Jan Dougherty of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute.
While Mitchell’s goal is still a ways away, several Minnesota towns have successfully implemented programs to assist those with Alzheimer’s-related problems.