New Brunswick, feds to provide more than $4 million in Alzheimer’s care training

The federal and provincial governments will provide $4.3 million to the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick to introduce dementia-care training to frontline support workers and caregivers.

“New Brunswick is dedicated to working with organizations like the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick to deliver services directly to communities,” said Seniors Minister Lyne Chantal Boudreau. She thanked federal partners and the society for their efforts to train caregivers in a Friday news release.

Funding for the initiative is through the Canada-New Brunswick Aging with Dignity agreement signed in 2024. The Department of Social Development made dementia-care training a priority and partnered with the society to deliver the U-First! training program. U-First! is for people supporting someone whose behaviour is changing because of Alzheimer’s or another cognitive impairment.

An additional $500,000 was committed in 2025 to expand the program.

“This is a great example of the impact of our Aging with Dignity bilateral agreements, which will help Canadians age closer to home, and aligns with the national dementia strategy’s objective to improve quality of life for people living with dementia and their caregivers,” said federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel.

The province recently unveiled a three-year Alzheimer and dementia plan intended to reduce risk, improve diagnosis and ensure coordinated compassionate care, said the release.

The Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick was granted an additional $1 million to enhance services and support the strategy’s implementation.

U-First! is intended to compliment other training, said the release. The society has trained more than 500 frontline staff since June and will train 1,400 staff and 200 friend and family caregivers per year during the second phase over the next three years, said the province.

“The distinctive learning approach, encompassing the whole care team, makes U-First! unique,” said Chandra MacBean, the executive director of the society. “We believe this program will begin a shift in the culture of care for people living with dementia, and we are already seeing incredible results from the training.”

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