News and resources from Alzheimers New Zealand

News and events

If the Covid-19 crisis has any upside it’s the fact that, for the first time in decades, the plight of older people is receiving long-overdue attention and concern. But if history is any guide, we won’t learn any lessons from those questions and New Zealanders with dementia and their families and care partners will continue to be marginalised and will continue to be hurt needlessly. Let’s make being kind more than a blip on the radar. It’s time we did more and better for people living with dementia. Read more.

Alzheimers NZ is currently working with partners in the sector to put the finishing touches to a National Dementia Plan for NZ, which focuses on the most urgent actions to better support people living with dementia. We are excited to share the finalised plan, which will be available very soon. Read more.

What’s working well

It does feel that Kiwis are noticing more and more that older people and those living with dementia are among some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. So we are really encouraged to hear reports from local organisations that the community is stepping up to support them. But we’ve still got a long way to go on our journey. We need to turn these kind words into lasting change.

Lots of New Zealanders are taking the opportunity during lockdown to join up as Dementia Friends. Over 7,300 Kiwis are now part of this community that is growing every day. Dementia Friends learn more about dementia and ways to help. It only takes 20 minutes online, so if you’d like to join the movement to make NZ a kinder place for people living with dementia, click here.

Local Alzheimers organisations are finding innovative ways to support people living with dementia in their communities during the lockdown, including online support and activity groups. They are even finding that moving the groups online means more people than ever before are able to take part. This includes a care partner in her eighties who wasn’t able to arrange respite care for her husband and couldn’t make it to the in-person support group. With support from her son and the team at Alzheimers Nelson, she is now set up on Zoom and is now delighted to be able to join in.

Some of the local organisations are also trialling Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) sessions online. CST involves a range of activities and discussions to help people living with dementia stay engaged and connected.

Local organisations are also offering clients practical support with setting up these new ways of connecting. They describe it as taking small bites of the ‘big apple’ of technology. They’ve been working hard to build the confidence of their communities, and also themselves as a team. They feel this new way of working will be a great move for them in the long-term. Read more.