Dementia Support NW to open respite care center in Bellis Fair Mall

Dementia Support Northwest will open a community hub in Bellis Fair Mall providing free, short-term respite care for people with dementia and their caregivers. 

The community hub will open in the former Lane Bryant storefront and is expected to open by the end of the year, Dementia Support Northwest executive director Judy Davis wrote in an email to The Northern Light. 

The community hub is envisioned to provide short-term respite for caregivers visiting the mall as well as a coffee counter to encourage socialization among patrons. The space will also have support groups, activities for people with dementia, resources and memory screening events, according to the Dementia Support Northwest website. 

Dementia Support Northwest announced in a press release that the community hub was funded by a $240,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation (CDRI). The Alzheimer’s Association created the CDRI in 2024 from a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Through the grant, CDRI will provide online training and technical assistance to Dementia Support Northwest to support the program.  

The Bellingham-based organization was one of 21 recipients chosen to receive a grant from 200 applicants in the U.S., according to the press release. 

Previously known as Alzheimer Society of Washington, Dementia Support Northwest started in 1983. Its mission is to provide education on dementia and support caregivers in Whatcom and Skagit counties, according to its website.