OU-Tulsa First to ​Pursue ​Dementia-friendly Designation

TULSA – The Dementia Friendly Tulsa initiative recently found new momentum, with OU-Tulsa becoming a partner to help secure Tulsa’s designation as a dementia-friendly community.

Dementia Friendly America (DFA) is a national network of communities equipped to support people affected by dementias. DFA has established criteria for entities seeking formal Dementia Friendly designation. Its primary objective is to make it possible for people living with dementia to remain in community and engaged in day-to-day activities to the greatest extent possible.

Participation in DFA is an important distinction for OU-Tulsa, which has pledged to work actively toward making the campus and its ancillary spaces environmentally friendly for persons with dementia.

In 2017, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum introduced the initiative to citizens, and committed to achieving the Dementia Friendly designation for Tulsa. Bynum’s proclamation made Tulsa the first city in Oklahoma to become a nationally recognized member of the Dementia Friendly America Network. OU-Tulsa is the first university in the nation to embrace the movement at this level of involvement.

“OU-Tulsa’s participation is significant because it is so much more than a verbal or written pledge,” said Helen Farrar, Ph.D., assistant professor, OU College of Nursing. “The university has taken an action, implementing meaningful steps to change our culture to one of greater awareness and inclusion. It is important to note that everything is volunteer-driven.”

Among those substantial steps, OU-Tulsa will systematically expose all staff, students and employees across all departments to the concepts of the Dementia Friendly America movement. Further, a dementia friendly “champion” in each department will facilitate departmental training on an annual basis.

“The resources, assets or benefits are largely a matter of human potential to increase awareness,” Farrar said. “This occurs as people across the university actively engage in discussions about making OU-Tulsa a dementia-friendly environment, as well as in those personal conversations that take place in families, churches and civic activities.”

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OU MEDICINE

OU Health — along with its academic partner, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center — is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system of hospitals, clinics and centers of excellence. With 11,000 employees and more than 1,300 physicians and advanced practice providers, OU Health is home to Oklahoma’s largest physician network with a complete range of specialty care. OU Health serves Oklahoma and the region with the state’s only freestanding children’s hospital, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Stephenson Cancer Center and Oklahoma’s flagship hospital, which serves as the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. OU Health’s mission is to lead healthcare in patient care, education and research. To learn more, visit oumedicine.com.

OU-TU SCHOOL OF COMMUNITY MEDICINE

The OU-TU School of Community Medicine is among the nation’s leaders in the growing field of community medicine, focusing on population-based health outcomes and the social determinants of health. The four-year medical school located at OU-Tulsa is a joint effort between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa, and is a track within OU’s College of Medicine. For more information, visit ou.edu/communitymedicine.