Individuals with dementia who display challenging behaviors present unique risks to their well-being and the ability to be cared for by others in the community. If these challenging behaviors are not adequately assessed and/or addressed, they can escalate to the point of a crisis that puts the person and their caregivers at risk of harm and/or removal from their current living environment.

The Waukesha County community has come together to work towards our vision of a community where:

• Individuals with dementia are valued, safe, and have a good quality of life.
• Caregivers are value, empowered, capable, and have good quality of life.
• The community is supportive, accountable, and capable.

This initiative began in 2018 through a Dementia Crisis Innovation Grant from the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Since that time, Action Teams comprised of representatives from many community organizations and businesses have been working together to understand the issue fully, to identify areas at the individual and system level that need improvement and have worked towards that improvement.