The new headquarters of Dementia Support Northwest, Amy’s Place, is slated to open this spring, adding another vital community hub to Bellis Fair mall.
Dementia Support Northwest is a Bellingham-based organization serving Northwestern Washington since 1983. Their mission is to support caregiving partnerships and educate people about dementia-related diseases.
Thanks to their work in respite, they were awarded a $240,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation in August 2024. Amy’s Place has also been made possible thanks to generous gifts by Amy Chan Wolsdorf, after whom the new center is named.
Photograph courtesy of Dementia Support Northwest
In terms of dementia-related caregiving, respite means giving the caregiver a break from their routines and time to attend to their own needs. It’s a dearly needed resource in the community.
Judy Davis, executive director of Dementia Support Northwest, has headed the Amy’s Place initiative.
“It’s going to be everything that you need or want for dementia,” she says. “All [of our] programs, head office, everybody will be centralized there… When you come in, you’ll be able to have someone to talk to right away.”
Inside the 4,700-square-foot-space, there will be a cozy lounging area, three conference rooms, and offices where the dressing rooms used to be, an inventive restructuring of the existing space.
“Dementia Support Northwest is excited to partner with Northwest Regional Council, who offer specialized services, care consultation, memory screenings, and dementia friendly activities in our community,” says Davis.
In addition to these services, their usual support groups for caregivers, and their Good Times Club Social Respite Program, being located in the mall will allow for new initiatives.
“The grant allows us to offer five 2-hour [respite] sessions to each family, free of charge,” says Davis. “We’d like to become a dementia-friendly mall, where we will offer training to all the retailers for their staff. … The community, our volunteers, everybody is super excited about it.”
1 Bellis Fair Pkwy., Ste. 362, Bellingham, 360.671.3316, dementiasupportnw.org
