The Community Connections Café is a welcoming space where people with memory loss or Dementia, and their care partners, can come to connect with others and support their brain health while socializing. This is an opportunity to enjoy simple refreshments and make new friends in a Dementia Friendly Community Space.

The Community Connections Cafe focuses on social wellness for people with memory loss or Dementia, and their care partners. The program is informal with the intended atmosphere of a local coffee shop where participants can chat over a beverage, do something creative, or play a game.

 

Every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 2:30pm to 4:30pm In-person at our AST Head Office
Location: 20 Eglinton Ave West, 16th Floor, Toronto
(Northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton, across the street from Yonge and Eglinton subway station. Our office tower is to the left of Metro Grocery)

 

Registration is required for this program and closes at midnight (12am) the day prior to the event.
Please specify the number of guests attending when you register. You may register up to 3 persons per group.

The TEACH (Training, Education, and Assistance for Caregiving at Home) Program is a Reitman Centre caregiver program which consists of 4 weekly group sessions that are each 90 minutes long.

Learning objectives:

• Focus on common caregiving themes including; self-care, healthcare system navigation, relationship changes and future planning
• Coaches care partners in practical communication and coping skills
• Provides opportunity to share and learn from other care partners

 

Session dates:
Thursdays from 12:00pm–1:30pm, starting April 10th, ending May 1st.

• Week 1 – April 10th
• Week 2 – April 17th
• Week 3 – April 24th
• Week 4 – May 1st

Please note, participants are expected to commit to all 4 sessions listed above. Kindly register only if these dates work for you.
If this schedule does not work for you at this time, you are encouraged to check out our ongoing support groups that are available for registration month-to-month. See a list of upcoming support groups here.

 

Location: This program takes place online using Zoom.

 

Registration and an assessment appointment (in-person or via Zoom) are prerequisites. Registration closes on March 31st.
An Enhancing Care Clinician in the Social Work Department will contact you for your assessment.

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.

 

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

Explore the concept of ambiguous loss, develop coping strategies and gain understanding of feelings of grief when caring for a person with dementia.

This session is for care partners of persons living with dementia in the mid-to-late stages.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the concept of Ambiguous Loss
• Recognize the uniqueness and complexity of Ambiguous Loss
• Explore concepts for learning to live with Ambiguous Loss
• Develop an understanding of supportive services in the community

 

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

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.

Description:

Interest in the genetics of dementia has increased with the availability of new treatments and clinical trials. This presentation will review the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease and Frontotemporal dementia. We will then discuss reasons, implications, and the process for testing someone with dementia as well as testing relatives who are at risk for inheriting a dementia-related gene. Making the decision to have genetic testing requires careful thought.

About the Presenter:

Jill Goldman is a Professor of Genetic Counseling in Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. She has specialized in hereditary neurological diseases such as FTD, Prion disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease.  She is on the faculty of the Columbia University Master’s Program in Genetic Counseling. Additionally, she leads a support group for caregivers of people with frontotemporal dementia. She also created and coordinates “A Friend for Rachel”, a companionship program in which people with early to moderate dementia are paired with Columbia pre-medical students. Ms. Goldman has authored many papers and book chapters including: “Genetic counseling and testing for Alzheimer disease: joint practice guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and the National Society of Genetic Counselors” (Genet Med. 2011). She is the editor of the textbook: Genetic Counseling for Adult Neurogenetic Disease: A Casebook for Clinicians, Springer, 2015. Ms. Goldman is an emeritus member of the medical advisory council of the Association for Frontotemporal Dementia (AFTD) Board and  presently an AFTD Board of Director,  and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Columbia University Genetic Counseling Master’s Program.

Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto Head Office located at 20 Eglinton Ave W, 16th Floor.

Mid-Town Social focuses on social wellness for people with Dementia and their care partners. In this series, we create purposeful connections among people who are on similar journeys while engaging in a variety of engaging activities including art making, games, creative movement, cooking, meaningful conversations and more. The program is flexible and will be catered to the interests and needs of the group participants. Let’s come together, break bread, have a laugh and be creative together.

Wednesday, February 11h, 2026 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto Head Office located at 20 Eglinton Ave W, 16th Floor.

Mid-Town Social focuses on social wellness for people with Dementia and their care partners. In this series, we create purposeful connections among people who are on similar journeys while engaging in a variety of engaging activities including art making, games, creative movement, cooking, meaningful conversations and more. The program is flexible and will be catered to the interests and needs of the group participants. Let’s come together, break bread, have a laugh and be creative together.

January 14th, 2026 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto Head Office located at 20 Eglinton Ave W, 16th Floor.

Mid-Town Social focuses on social wellness for people with Dementia and their care partners. In this series, we create purposeful connections among people who are on similar journeys while engaging in a variety of engaging activities including art making, games, creative movement, cooking, meaningful conversations and more. The program is flexible and will be catered to the interests and needs of the group participants. Let’s come together, break bread, have a laugh and be creative together.

Wednesday, December 10th, 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto Head Office located at 20 Eglinton Ave W, 16th Floor.

Mid-Town Social focuses on social wellness for people with Dementia and their care partners. In this series, we create purposeful connections among people who are on similar journeys while engaging in a variety of engaging activities including art making, games, creative movement, cooking, meaningful conversations and more. The program is flexible and will be catered to the interests and needs of the group participants. Let’s come together, break bread, have a laugh and be creative together.