Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia

The Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia (ASNS) is the leading not-for-profit organization working to improve the quality of life for Nova Scotians affected by dementia and advance the search for the cause and cure. Since 1983, ASNS has been providing help for people with dementia, their care partners and healthcare professionals – and that help comes in many ways.

Over 600,000 Canadians currently live with dementia, and that number is expected to rise to 1.7 million by 2050. In our province alone, over 16,000 Nova Scotians live with the disease, and that number is expected to almost double in the next 30 years. Dementia is the fastest growing healthcare issue of our time.

Mission Statement

ASNS is committed to alleviating the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and promoting the search for causes and cures.

Vision Statement

• Provide leadership in addressing the reality of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
• Strengthen existing programs and create new ones in response to ever increasing needs.
• Advance and develop educational opportunities.
• Participate in and promote research.
• Provide an environment that attracts and retains high quality staff and volunteers.

Lighting Our Future Path: Strategic Intentions 2022-2027

The result of extensive community and stakeholder consults, our strategic intentions set a course for 2022-2027. Through execution of this plan, we aim to expand existing services and ensure supports for every stage of the dementia journey, from diagnosis to end-of-life. We intend to support caregivers, in both formal and informal settings, to ensure they are equipped with adequate knowledge, skills, and resilience. We commit to addressing barriers to dementia support, whether they are cultural, geographical, or otherwise. And we plan to work collaboratively with government, healthcare, and sector partners to ensure we amplify the voices of those with lived experience, and ensure we are focused on advocacy issues that matter to them. Read our full strategic intentions document at www.alzheimer.ca/ns/stratplan.

Our Values

Our values are “CARE: Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, and Engagement.” Work is in progress to ensure that ASNS values underpin all aspects of our working culture, from hiring and orientation, performance evaluations, how we manage our day to day and how we interact with each other:

• Collaboration - We work together as one organization, and actively engage with partners to fulfill our mission and achieve our goal – that Nova Scotians receive personal and responsive services throughout their dementia journey.
• Accountability - We measure our performance and follow a process of continuous improvement. We are accountable for our actions, we lead with personal accountability, and must account to our stakeholders for our use of the financial and human resources available to us.
• Respect - We set for ourselves the highest standards of honesty, trustworthiness, and professional integrity in all aspects of our organization and conduct our work with the utmost respect for the dignity and the rights of the people we serve, and those we work alongside.
• Engagement - We strive to engage stakeholders in meaningful ways. To inform, listen and be attentive to those we work with - people with dementia, families, community partners, donors, volunteers, and staff members.

We Are ASNS!

Our talented staff team works across four core organizational functions: Finance & Operations, Programs & Services, Research & Advocacy and Philanthropy. Each department has a Director as lead (reporting to the CEO), with a small management structure underneath. Though we recruit and work based on specialties, it is widely understood that anyone who joins our team ‘works as one’ with their colleagues. We all have a role to play in ensuring the health, success, and sustainability of our organization and its deliverables across all functions and we work as needed to meet mission and fiscal goals.

I.D.E.A (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

Dementia does not discriminate. We put personhood at the centre of our work, and we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees, clients, and stakeholders. All qualified applicants will be considered for our team, and we encourage applicants from diverse communities to self-identify in their application. Please request any accommodation required to facilitate the recruitment process.

Our I.D.E.A strategy is central to our new strategic initiatives, and we invest in organization-wide training and development to better support all equity-deserving communities.

Board of Directors

The dedication, enthusiasm and expertise of our Board of Directors makes it possible for us to continue to support Nova Scotians affected by dementia.

Alzheimer Society Federation

ASNS is a member of the Alzheimer Society Federation (the Federation) which consists of 10 provincial societies and the Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC). This Federation is defined as a network of partners committed to a common mission and a shared brand and program model, while remaining legally independent from one another. In addition to independent provincial strategic plans (the responsibility of individual societies), there is also a Federation-wide strategic plan, and it is crucial each society is in support of effective execution of both. There are shared financial mechanisms relating to nationwide revenue sharing, provincial support of the nationwide Alzheimer Society Research Program, and an annual assessment for shared service provision.

First Link

ASNS operates using the First Link model of Programs and Service delivery. Persons living with dementia and their families or care partners are connected to the Alzheimer Society for information, education, support, and referral. These connections are ideally made as early as possible in the course of the disease and are maintained throughout the progression of the disease via a combination of programs and services provided by ASNS, alone or in partnership with other health and community agencies. Clients may contact the society directly or be referred by a physician or other health care provider.

Additional Information

• Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia

http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/ns

• Partnerships

http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/ns/About-us/About-the-Alzheimer-Society/Our-Partners

• About Dementia

http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/ns/About-dementia

• Programs and Services

https://alzheimer.ca/ns/en/programs-services

• The Landmark Study Report

https://alzheimer.ca/ns/en/landmark

https://alzheimer.ca/ns/en/landmark2