Cultivating Dignity:
Human-Centred Justice for People with Dementia
Online Symposium
Thursday, March 26, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Thursday, March 26, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Dementia Justice Canada is pleased to announce the date for our online symposium, Cultivating Dignity: Human-Centred Justice for People with Dementia. Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 26, 2026.
About the Online Symposium
As society faces an increasing prevalence of dementia, we are compelled to ask: How do we want to grow old? This one-day online symposium, Cultivating Dignity, will bring together medical and legal scholars, advocates, caregivers and the public to explore how the law, ethics of care and innovative models like care farms can uphold dignity, personhood and justice in dementia—not just for today’s seniors, but for future generations who may one day become some of our most vulnerable.
The aim is to inspire hope by reimagining ageing—not as a decline to be feared but as a stage of life where dignity, ethical care and human-centred justice are cultivated and preserved for all of us in old age.
Who Should Attend
This symposium is intended for a broad audience concerned with dignity, justice, and care for people with dementia—including caregivers and family members; advocates; health, social care and legal professionals; researchers; policymakers; students; and members of the public. No specialized background is required. Everyone is welcome.
Keynote Address by Lynn Casteel Harper
Author of On Vanishing: Mortality, Dementia, and What It Means to Disappear
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
In On Vanishing, Rev. Harper, essayist, minister, and chaplain, investigates the myths and metaphors surrounding dementia and ageing, addressing not only the indignities caused by the condition but also by the rhetoric surrounding it. She asks essential questions about the nature of our outsize fear of dementia, the stigma this fear may create, and what it might mean for us all to try to “vanish well.”
About the Online Symposium
As society faces an increasing prevalence of dementia, we are compelled to ask: How do we want to grow old? This one-day online symposium, Cultivating Dignity, will bring together medical and legal scholars, advocates, caregivers and the public to explore how the law, ethics of care and innovative models like care farms can uphold dignity, personhood and justice in dementia—not just for today’s seniors, but for future generations who may one day become some of our most vulnerable.
The aim is to inspire hope by reimagining ageing—not as a decline to be feared but as a stage of life where dignity, ethical care and human-centred justice are cultivated and preserved for all of us in old age.
Who Should Attend
This symposium is intended for a broad audience concerned with dignity, justice, and care for people with dementia—including caregivers and family members; advocates; health, social care and legal professionals; researchers; policymakers; students; and members of the public. No specialized background is required. Everyone is welcome.
Keynote Address by Lynn Casteel Harper
Author of On Vanishing: Mortality, Dementia, and What It Means to Disappear
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
In On Vanishing, Rev. Harper, essayist, minister, and chaplain, investigates the myths and metaphors surrounding dementia and ageing, addressing not only the indignities caused by the condition but also by the rhetoric surrounding it. She asks essential questions about the nature of our outsize fear of dementia, the stigma this fear may create, and what it might mean for us all to try to “vanish well.”
Continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation will be sought from the Law Societies of British Columbia and Ontario for select portions of this event. If you are licensed outside of these provinces, you may be able to include some of this event in your CPD Plan. Please contact your law society to confirm.
Dementia Justice Canada gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the Law Commission of Canada.
