Help fight the approaching dementia ‘tsunami’

A fundraising campaign is giving people the opportunity to raise money while enjoying a cup of morning tea.

Cuppa for a Cause is Alzheimers Taranaki’s regional fundraising and awareness raising campaign.

‘‘It’s about people organising a morning or afternoon tea and having a collection for Alzheimers Taranaki,’’ manager Ana Parkes said.

‘‘And they can be as extravagant as they like or they can bring a packet of gingernuts.’’

Two out of three New Zealanders are touched by dementia, Parkes said.

Alzheimers Taranaki gets 60 per cent of its funding from the Taranaki District Health Board, but needs to raise the other 40 per cent, Parkes said.

‘‘We approach agencies like New Zealand Lotteries and Lion Foundation, but like most organisations we’re finding it harder and harder to get sufficient funding to support our services, while the demands for our services are rising and costs are rising.

‘‘So we thought, why not give the community an opportunity to support us?’’

Dementia is the problem issue for the 21st century and what is described as a ‘‘tsunami of dementia patients’’ is just beginning, she said.

There are 60,000 people in New Zealand with dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the largest cause, though there is little accurate data. And no one has any idea how many people in Taranaki have dementia.

Taranaki Cathedral held a cuppa for a cause morning tea after the morning service a couple of weeks ago, she said.

‘‘The scones looked lovely. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make about 100 scones and they raised $171.’’

All of the money raised will stay in Taranaki.