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Dementia Friendly Baker outlines local services, seeks county support for Oct. 11 community forum
Summary
Volunteers with Dementia Friendly Baker told commissioners the county’s aging population and rising dementia diagnoses mean more local supports are needed; the group asked commissioners to note an Oct. 11 community forum and said volunteers provide caregiver support groups, education and local programming.
Beth Maskell Smith, a local Dementia Friendly Baker organizer, told the Baker County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 1 that the county’s older population and the prevalence of dementia create a growing need for community supports. “Our mission is to reduce the stigma associated with a dementia diagnosis… and to create an environment where people living with dementia can be as independent as possible,” Maskell Smith said.
Maskell Smith, who said Baker County’s share of residents age 65 and older exceeds the national average, described programs the volunteer group runs: monthly education sessions, a bi‑monthly caregiver support group, collaborations with Crossroads on art programs and a second Community Forum, “Dementia: A Compassionate Community Conversation,” scheduled for Oct. 11 at Churchill School. The forum’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Desai, a geriatric psychiatrist from Boise.
Caregiver Barbara Stiff and long‑time ombudsman Nikki Edwards described the practical value of local supports. Stiff recounted caring for a spouse who developed dementia and said the peer support group reduced isolation: “As a caregiver, I feel I was well supported.” Edwards, who said she has served as the long‑term care ombudsman in the county for 19 years, urged commissioners to back the group’s outreach and diagnostic‑referral needs.
Why it matters: Commissioners heard that dementia is not a single disease and that families and caregivers need local education and connection to clinical expertise. Speakers said Baker County lacks nearby specialists and that caregiver burden falls heavily on family networks.
What the county will do next: Organizers offered commissioners a written resolution supporting the Oct. 11 forum and asked that staff place event participation and forum notices into county communications. Commissioners did not take formal action on a resolution during the Oct. 1 meeting but were asked to accept copies of the organizers’ materials and to consider outreach help from county staff.
