The Alzheimer Society of Canada branches in Huron and Perth counties have merged, a move the unified charity’s executive director says will break down geographic boundaries for clients struggling with dementia.
“It was a natural alignment because we worked very closely for many, many years together,” Cathy Ritsema said Wednesday. “There’s going to be a wide range of programs and services and as our staff streamline, we’re going to just be able to really serve our clients better.”
Previously known as Alzheimer Society Huron County and Alzheimer Society Perth County, the boards of each branch unanimously supported the merger following a 16-month process that began in November 2020.
Now overseen by a single nine-member board, the combined Alzheimer Society Huron Perth became official April 1.
“The unification of the Huron and Perth Alzheimer Societies makes sense in so many ways,” board chair Nancy Walker said. “This allows us to combine our resources to support as many people in Huron and Perth counties as possible. It also facilitates easier access to us by our community partners.”
“As a care partner to my wife for many years … I know firsthand the value of the Alzheimer Society,” past chair Guy Chadsey added. “Having two rural Societies unite means we will be able to offer local, rural services that meet the needs of our communities in more effective ways.”
The charity’s 25 employees work with around 1,600 clients and their families, Ritsema said. Regular programs and services accessed by those clients and their loved ones will not change.
“They’ll have the same workers that they had (before),” Ritsema said.
Both of the charity’s locations in Clinton and Stratford will remain open.
Besides the merger of the volunteer board – which Ritsema said plans to recruit two new members in the near future – the biggest change to the day-to-day operations of the charity is administrative. Ritsema, formerly the executive director of the Huron branch, will take the reigns following the recent retirement of Debbie Deichert, the longtime executive director of the Perth branch.
After developing a suite of virtual services during the pandemic, Ritsema said the organization is now preparing to move forward with a hybrid online and in-person model.
“It’s been difficult serving clients, but I will say the staff have done a remarkable job,” Ritsema said. “Going forward, we’ll have a hybrid model because we learned some terrific stuff about how we can serve clients who maybe are a little bit more remote.”