blog

Row for Ray

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:38:31 +1200

Auckland women, Christine Hobbs, is organising a rowing marathon on the Waikato River to honour her hero – her father Ray. He lives in Rotorua, near family but in a secure care facility because of his advanced Alzheimer’s disease. As a former councillor and Mayor of Rotorua, Ray spent many years contributing to his city and community and providing for his extended family was always top-of-mind.

“This project started after a visit I made to Dad at the Rest Home where he lives. I always come back to Auckland pretty sad about his condition. Being out on the river at dawn is a powerful place, and it occurred to me that there’s a lot about it that Dad would have loved. He was never a rower but he worked outdoors, was a natural environmentalist (not a greenie!) and stayed physically active as long as he was able. I think he truly believed in the power of communities and the responsibility we all have to play an active part in them,” says Mrs Hobbs.

The long-distance row developed quickly as an idea that is engaging a lot of interest and support. The row starts in Cambridge on Friday May 25th and over 3 days travels 141 km along the Waikato River as far as Port Waikato. Various members of rowing clubs around the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland regions are taking part, as are some kayakers.

Mrs Hobbs hopes some waka ama from the various Marae along the river will join the contingent for some of the way. The group of rowers and supporters will also make a visit to Turangawaewae Marae.

“Dad took everyone at face value, respected New Zealand’s history and cultural mix and was an employer of equality. Somehow the Waikato River, crossing farmland and small communities, the flow to the sea and the sense of liberation, seems like a good place to honour Dad and many others with this disease. It troubles me that the perception of dementia is that it’s an old person’s disease. It really isn’t – and we all need to be aware of the increase in people being diagnosed”.

Funds raised will be put towards Alzheimer’s Rotorua which will allow their services to be extended to more families and Alzheimers New Zealand, to help spread awareness and advocate for all people with dementia in New Zealand. Anyone wanting to contribute or take part can contact Christine at designability@xtra.co.nz or check out http://alzheimers.org.nz/row-for-ray for more details.

Alzheimers New Zealand urges New Zealand government to recognise dementia as the most serious health crisis to be faced this century

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:25:53 +1200

Alzheimers New Zealand is encouraged by the Australian federal government’s recent announcement that they will be committing almost AUS $270 million to dementia and hopes this announcement will go some way toward influencing our own government to take further financial action in New Zealand.

Under an aged-care reform package the Australian government will spend a total of $269.4 million over five years, including $164.3 million to be paid as supplements to people with dementia living in aged-care facilities and at home. The remainder of the money will go toward promoting early diagnosis of the disease. However, this amount this falls short of calls by Alzheimer's Australia for a $500m investment.

This financial commitment from the Australian government coupled with the recent announcement from the UK government that they will be doubling funding for dementia research, shows how other governments are stepping up and taking action to prepare for the inevitable rise in dementia. Alzheimers New Zealand is now urging our own government to take action and recognise dementia as the most serious health crisis to be faced this century.

A report released this month by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed the incidence of dementia is exploding in line with the rapid growth in aging populations worldwide, the most profound socio-economic phenomenon of this century. The number of people living with dementia worldwide, estimated at 35.6 million in 2010, is set to nearly double every 20 years, reaching 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050.

In New Zealand, dementia is expected to increase to epidemic proportions in the very near future due to our country’s aging population. Today there around 44,000 recorded cases of dementia, however, we expect the true figure to be significantly higher than this as only 60% of people are diagnosed, according to the World Alzheimer Report 2011. Around half of all New Zealanders with dementia live with family carers, many of whom are providing around-the-clock care with little or no government support.

Alzheimers New Zealand is now approaching the third year of its National Dementia Strategy, launched at Parliament in May 2010. The strategy establishes clear actions to better support people with dementia and their carers. The document was developed in consultation with stakeholders throughout the sector, as well as with those who face the daily challenge of living with the disease. The strategy identifies key areas needing investment including early diagnosis and management of the disease, appropriate quality services, better supports for carers who provide in-home care, and development of a skilled work-force.

The success of the National Dementia Strategy hinges on the New Zealand government’s recognition of the social and economic impacts of the disease and adopting dementia as a national health priority. While the New Zealand dementia community is working towards fulfilling the action points of the strategy, the New Zealand government is yet to formally adopt it.

“The New Zealand government needs to recognise dementia as a national crisis in order to adequately fund the sector and best prepare for the significant costs of dementia in the future.

“Last year’s Budget announcement of $44m to dementia was a step in the right direction but additional funding is needed to support people living with dementia in the home,” says Alzheimers New Zealand chairperson, Martin Brooks.

According to the Alzheimers New Zealand Dementia Economic Impact Report (2008) delaying the entry of people with dementia into residential aged care by just three months would save the government $62.3 million. Alzheimers New Zealand have long advocated for better support for those caring for people with dementia at home, as part of the government’s aging in place strategy.

Alzheimers New Zealand asks government to make dementia a national health priority and recognise dementia as a national crisis and to adequately fund the sector to best prepare for the significant costs of dementia in the future.

Alzheimers New Zealand urges New Zealand government to recognise dementia as a ‘national crisis’

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:34:48 +1200

Alzheimers New Zealand is encouraged by yesterday’s announcement by UK prime minister David Cameron that their government will be doubling funding for dementia research and hopes this announcement will go some way toward influencing our own our government to take further action in New Zealand.

In his speech, which launched the ‘National Dementia Challenge’, the prime minister outlined three key areas aimed at making the UK a leader in dementia care and research, these are:

• making sure health and social care systems are properly geared up to deal with the crisis

• radically stepping up research into cures and treatments, with overall funding for research doubled to reach £66m by 2015

• getting society involved in the fight: communities, charities, businesses

Mr Cameron also said: “The level of diagnosis, understanding and awareness of dementia is shockingly low. It is as though we’ve been in collective denial.”

He added the issue should be treated as a “national crisis”.

Alzheimers New Zealand is urging the New Zealand government to also recognise and treat dementia as the most serious health crisis to be faced this century in New Zealand.

The reality is that dementia is expected to increase to epidemic proportions in the very near future due to our country’s aging population. Today there around 44,000 recorded cases of dementia in New Zealand, however, we expect the true figure to be significantly higher than this as only 60% of people are diagnosed, according to the World Alzheimer Report 2011. Numbers of people with dementia are expected to double every twenty years. Dementia has no cure.

Around half of all New Zealanders with dementia live with family carers, many who are providing around-the-clock care with little or no government support.

It is inevitable that the governments worldwide will spend increasing proportions of health and social care budget on older people living with chronic conditions such as dementia. Nevertheless, few countries have developed comprehensive policies or plans to address the impact of dementia, now and for the future. Today’s announcement shows the UK is taking a lead and it is time for New Zealand to also take action.

Last year’s budget announcement was a step in the right direction. The dementia community has long recognised the need for greater cooperation between all dementia response agencies in order to best prepare New Zealand for the expected ‘epidemic’ of dementia over the coming years. The commitment from Government adds to that collaboration and we welcome continued investment in order for us to fulfil our promise to people living with dementia in our local communities. Now that we have a significant investment from Government to address the pressing issues of quality care for people with advanced and acute dementia, as well as better supports for carers through respite, we can focus on building better strategies and securing the funding now needed to support people living with dementia in the home.

Alzheimers New Zealand asks government to make dementia a national health priority and recognise dementia as a national crisis and to adequately fund the sector and best prepare for the significant costs of dementia in the future.

A National Dementia Strategy, launched at Parliament in May 2010, established clear actions to better support people with dementia and their carers. This document was developed in consultation with stakeholders throughout the sector as well as those who face the daily challenge of living with the disease. The strategy identifies key areas needing investment including early diagnosis and management of the disease, appropriate services including best practices, and better supports for carers who provide in-home care.

The success of the National Dementia Strategy hinges on governments recognition of the social and economical impacts of the disease and adopting dementia as a national health priority.

If you are concerned about someone with dementia please contact your local Alzheimers organisation for support on 0800 004 001.

Alzheimers New Zealand urges New Zealand government to recognise dementia as a ‘national crisis’

In his speech, which launched the ‘National Dementia Challenge’, the prime minister outlined three key areas aimed at making the UK a leader in dementia care and research, these are:

making sure health and social care systems are properly geared up to deal with the crisis
radically stepping up research into cures and treatments, with overall funding for research doubled to reach £66m by 2015
getting society involved in the fight: communities, charities, businesses

Mr Cameron also said: “The level of diagnosis, understanding and awareness of dementia is shockingly low. It is as though we’ve been in collective denial.”

He added the issue should be treated as a “national crisis”.

Alzheimers New Zealand is urging the New Zealand government to also recognise and treat dementia as the most serious health crisis to be faced this century in New Zealand.

Around half of all New Zealanders with dementia live with family carers, many who are providing around-the-clock care with little or no government support.

A National Dementia Strategy, launched at Parliament in May 2010, established clear actions to better support people with d