Healthy Brain Community Toolkit
Your Roadmap to Community Action
Creating a healthier, more dementia-friendly community doesn't happen all at once—but every step forward makes a difference.
The Healthy Brain Community Toolkit provides communities with practical guidance, tools, and resources to improve brain health, increase dementia awareness, support caregivers, and create dementia-friendly environments.
Designed for communities of all sizes, the toolkit helps local leaders
organizations, healthcare providers, community members, and partners work together to identify community needs, select priorities, implement activities, and sustain long-term community impact.
The toolkit is flexible and can be adapted to fit your community's goals, available resources, and readiness level.
How to Use the Toolkit
Getting started is simple. Most communities begin with the first three components to build a strong foundation, then explore the remaining components based on their goals and priorities.
- Components 1-3: Organize your team, assess community needs, and build awareness.
- Components 4-7: Implement activities that support brain health, dementia awareness, caregivers, and dementia-friendly practices.
- Component 8: Measure progress, evaluate outcomes, and sustain your efforts.
- Component 9: Access additional tools, resources, and educational materials.
Every community is different. The toolkit is flexible, so you can work through the components in order or focus on the areas that best meet your community's needs.
Download the Healthy Brain Community Checklist to begin planning your community's next steps.
Explore Toolkit Components
Component 1: Partnerships & Leadership
Build your leadership team, identify partners, and establish the foundation for your community's efforts.
Component 2: Community Readiness & Assessment
Understand your community's strengths, identify needs, and determine where your efforts can have the greatest impact.
Component 3: Community Engagement
Increase awareness, build partnerships, and encourage community participation.
Component 4: Brain Health Education
Promote healthy habits that support lifelong brain health and reduce risk factors.
Component 5: Dementia Awareness
Help community members recognize early signs and understand when to seek support.
Component 6: Caregiver Support
Provide caregivers with information, resources, and connections that strengthen their ability to care for others - and themselves.
Component 7: Dementia-Friendly Community Practices
Create welcoming environments where people living with dementia and their care partners feel included and supported.
Component 8: Implementation, Evaluation, & Sustainability
Measure progress, evaluate outcomes, and create lasting community impact.
Component 9: Additional Resources
Explore trusted tools, educational materials, templates, and community resources.
Using Reliable Resources
Every recommendation in the Healthy Brain Community Toolkit is grounded in credible, evidence-informed resources from trusted public health agencies, healthcare organizations, and national experts.
When using additional online resources, look for information that comes from reputable organizations, identifies its author, includes current publication dates, and is supported by research or evidence before sharing it with others.
For additional guidance on evaluating health information online, visit the National Institute on Aging's "How to Find Reliable Health Information Online."