Awareness and Appeal Week 2012

Look for street collectors to donate and recieve a badge and go into the draw to win a $100 book voucher.  Fill out the details on the back of the badge and send to PO Box 14768 or click here to email us your application. The winner will be announced in October, you will recieve notification if you are the lucky one. Thanks, Alzheimers New Zealand.

Throughout the month of September Alzheimers New Zealand and many of the local Alzheimer's organisations will be running their Appeal Weeks to coincide with  our Alzheimers Awareness Month.

Throughout their Appeal Weeks local Alzheimers New Zealand volunteers will be collecting outside various Countdown stores with the hope of raising funds and awareness to help them to achieve their mission of making life better for all people affected by dementia.

Currently over 48,000 people are living with dementia in New Zealand. This number is set to double every 20 years due to New Zealand’s ageing population.

However, the true human cost of the disease is well over 300,000, according to those working in the field, who say it takes up to seven pairs of hands to care for one person with dementia.  These carers effectively put their ‘normal’ lives on hold while caring for a person with dementia, often sacrificing careers, social interactions and financial stability in the process.

The money raised from the Appeals will help Alzheimers New Zealand local organisations enable people with dementia to live life to the fullest and support whānau to cope with the demands of caring.

Since its inception in 1985, Alzheimers New Zealand has grown from a community support organisation, to a nationwide organisation with 21 local Alzheimers organisations. Tens of thousands of individuals, as well as their families and support networks, are supported annually and the organisation has become the ‘go to’ authority for the dementia community. Nationally, the dementia community is supported through leadership, information and advocacy. Locally, the organisation serves its community through support services such as information, education, support groups and day or activity programmes.

With dementia so rapidly on the rise, Alzheimers New Zealand and its local organisations has had to adopt new strategies to boost its capacity to meet the demand for its services. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is funding these services.

“We are calling on the communities we serve to support their local Alzheimers organisations by giving generously either to our collectors or in your local Countdown store. Our 21 Alzheimers organisations need urgent support to sustain services. Our fear is that people will struggle through their journey with dementia, placing an enormous toll on themselves and their families, without the support they deserve,” says Alzheimers New Zealand board chairman Martin Brooks.

To make a donation to Alzheimers New Zealand please click here.