U-First!® for Care Partners is an interactive education program for informal care partners (family, friends, neighbours) who are providing direct unpaid support to someone experiencing behaviour changes as a result of dementia or other cognitive impairment.

This education program focuses on:

• Enhancing the well-being of care partners and of the person they are supporting who is experiencing behaviour changes
• Reducing responsive behaviours by using the U-First!® framework
• Improving collaboration among all team members through a common knowledge, language and approach to care

Mandatory Session Dates:

Tuesday February 3rd , 10am-12pm
Tuesday February 10th , 10am-12pm
Tuesday February 17th, 10am-12pm

Optional Session Date:
Tuesday February 24th, 10am-12pm

What’s the cost for the program?
There is no cost for participants of the U-First!® for Care Partners.

Deadline to register is Sunday, January 4, 2026

**Please note that there will be an additional screening of all interested participants to ensure there is a fit between the program and participant. You can expect a screening call 2- 4 weeks before the first session.

***(THIS PROGRAM IS FOR INFORMAL CAREGIVERS/PARTNERS/FAMILY/FRIENDS ONLY. If you are a Health Care Provider (PSW, nurse, paid private caregiver, etc) please click here for the U-First! for Health Care Providers courses)***

This hands-on, interactive workshop is for both care partners and the person they are supporting who has dementia or cognitive change. The overarching goal is for the care partner and person with dementia or cognitive change to, together, be more relaxed and grounded at the end of the workshop.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognizing the mental health impact of dementia
• Exploring how relaxation and meditation techniques can help reduce stress
• Practicing some helpful relaxation and meditation techniques that you can continue to do on your own after the workshop

Please note that mindfulness practices incorporate reflective and abstract concepts that may be complex for an individual in later stages of dementia, therefore, this workshop is only suitable for those who are in early stages of dementia, or who have mild cognitive change. To ensure an appropriate fit of program to participant, there is a short screening process that needs to be completed during registration. 

Losing someone who had dementia can be a unique and complex experience for those who cared for them.
This presentation will explore these issues, identify various approaches to grief, and suggest ways for care partners to cope with loss.

This workshop will incorporate a support group element.

Please note this workshop is only for informal care partners (friends, family, etc) of a person living with dementia. This workshop is NOT for healthcare professionals. 

Workshop will be presented using Zoom, registration required to receive link. 

This workshop will help care partners of a person with dementia in mid-to-late stages to develop and participate in meaningful activities. The goal is to provide practical ideas on how participants can spend quality time together by identifying and drawing upon the person’s remaining strengths.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of meaningful activities for people with dementia or their family members
• Demonstrate importance of sensory stimulation for people with dementia or their family members
• Employ additional strategies and resources for creating meaningful activities for people with dementia or their family members

Workshop will be presented online via Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.

This workshop will be facilitated in a two-part series. Part one will review the importance of Advance Care Planning, and the steps involved in the process. Part two will provide an environment for informal care partners to explore the tools necessary to facilitate Advance Care Planning conversations, which will incorporate an exercise to create a portion of an advance care plan for themselves.

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding Advance Care Planning and why it is important
• Learning about the steps involved in Advance Care Planning
• Understanding what a Substitute Decision Maker is, and how to appoint a Power of
• Attorney for Personal Health, and a Power of Attorney for Property
• Recognizing what capacity and incapacity mean in Ontario
• Developing tools to facilitate Advance Care Planning conversations

 Join us on Thursday, March 26th and April 2nd, 2026

Please note this workshop is only for informal care partners (friends, family, etc) who are supporting someone in earlier stages of dementia, or who has Mild Cognitive Impairment. This workshop is NOT for healthcare professionals. 

*There will be a screening component to join this series to ensure participant-program fit*. Screening will be from March 2nd-March 13th, 2026

Registration deadline is Tuesday, March 12th. 

 
Series will be presented using Zoom, registration required to receive link. 

For more information, contact Tsvetty at tkolarova@alz.to

This workshop provides an overview of behaviours in dementia and communicating in a supportive manner. It will focus on providing participants with the knowledge of how behaviours and communication can change over the course of the disease and ways to supportively communicate with a person living with dementia.

For care partners to a person living with dementia.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that behaviour is a form of communication
• Describe how dementia impacts communication
• Recall communication strategies that can be used to support people living with dementia
• Discuss the meaning of behaviours in dementia and ways to offer support

Workshop will be presented online via Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.

Learning Objectives:

This workshop will provide care partners with an overview of Alzheimer’s disease focusing on the importance of early diagnosis and illustrates the progression of the disease.

This session is intended for care partners to a person living with dementia.

Topics:

• Gain a greater understanding of the process of diagnosis and medications available
• Develop a better, over-all understanding of dementia
• Increase your knowledge of the stages and progression of Alzheimer’s disease
• Better the caregiver’s insight into the person with dementia (PWD)
• Learn about community services and supports

Workshop will be presented using Zoom.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.