Bringing dementia to the fore with street march
Bringing dementia out of the dark ages and onto the street was the aim of nearly 500 people taking part in Wednesday’s Memory Walk in Levin.
The annual walk from the Adventure Park to Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau po¯ in support of people living with dementia was the largest gathering by far since its start seven years ago, leaving Alzheimers Manawatu¯ manager Donna Hedley stunned.
“It was absolutely spectacular. There were community businesses, organisations, residential facilities, families and children all taking part, it was just amazing, just what we want,” she said.
The Memory Walk aims to normalise dementia by removing the stigma associated with the disease. Alzheimers Manawatu¯ currently supports 150 people in the Horowhenua including carers, but Hedley said it only ever sees the tip of the iceberg. An estimated 70,000 people live with dementia in New Zealand, one of the country’s most significant and growing healthcare challenges with four out of five Kiwis affected in some way.
Hedley said people can modify their risk of developing the disease but it was about “early diagnosis and better information”. Up to 65 per cent of people go un-diagnosed due to the stigma.
“This is why we need to bring dementia out of the dark ages and start talking openly about it to educate the whole community.
“Most people with dementia live in their community and we need dementia-friendly communities so that people can live well. It’s a community problem, it’s an ageing problem and we have an ageing population. Everyone needs to understand the challenges of dementia and its everyday impacts so we can get rid of the stigma that stops people getting help.”
The number of people living with dementia is expected to triple to 170,000 by 2050. The total cost of dementia to NZ is now around $1.7 billion and will reach around $5b by 2050.
More information about local services is at www.alzheimers.org.nz/manawatu or call 0800 004 001.