Walk for Alzheimers
More than 100 Levin residents remembered those who can’t remember, pulling on purple t-shirts to complete the Alzheimers Memory Walk.
Walking from Levin’s Adventure Park to Te Takere, participants heard from different speakers about the reality of Alzheimers before taking to the dance floor for a boogie and conga line.
Alzheimers Manawatu manager Donna Hedley said the Memory Walk was about raising awareness, reducing the stigma and empowering people to seek help rather than hide behind closed doors.
“There is still a huge amount of stigma around dementia. GPs are reluctant to diagnose it and so up to 60 per cent of people go undiagnosed. When you consider there are more than 60,000 people living in New Zealand with dementia that is a lot of people going undiagnosed. People struggle for many years before we see them and often they say they wish they had known about us sooner, but sadly there is a reluctance to talk about it.
“There are things we can do to improve the lives of those effected with dementia. Thirty years ago people didn’t talk about cancer openly, and that is where we are still at with dementia and Alzheimers.”
Mrs Hedley said education needs to be across the board.
“It’s not just the people who are affected, it’s also the professionals. We need to understand the behaviour of a person and how to adapt to them and not them to us,” she said.
Alzheimer’s field worker Anne Lowry said the two years she has worked for Alzheimers Manawatu have been more rewarding than her 35 years of nursing.
“I am constantly humbled and moved by the strength and determination of carers to cope. We are all working together towards a dementia-friendly community,” she said.
Alzheimers Manawatu provide support education and advocacy for all people affected by dementia. All are welcome to attend the monthly meeting at Te Takere, the first Friday of the month, 1pm to 2.30pm in the Totara Room.
‘There are things we can do to improve the lives of those effected dementia.’ with DONNA HEDLEY