Walk down memory lane
Stepping up for Alzheimers week with Memory Walk
Awalk down “Memory Lane” this week saw people take to the street wearing anything purple to support people and families affected by Alzheimers disease and dementia.
Memory Lane is now an annual fixture in Levin, raising awareness of a common disease affecting 70,000 people in New Zealand — one in four die with the disease — and rates of reported dementia keep increasing.
Studies show that more than 170,000 New Zealanders will have dementia by 2050.
Alzheimer’s Manawatu¯ dementia adviser Anne Lowry said September was Dementia Awareness month and the Memory Walk helped raise awareness and was a good way to highlight the support available to families of people living with dementia.
Lowry, who had been involved in the health sector for much of her working life, said they were warned 40 years ago that a dementia tsunami was coming as the population ages and diagnostic rates improve.
“Half of us now know or are aware of someone who has dementia,” she said.
They get 100 referrals in Horowhenua every year — two a week — and were currently supporting 50 families.
Talking freely about dementia and highlighting the support networks that were available was important, as it helped lift stigma.
“It shouldn’t be a conversation stopper,” she said.
Many of those on the Memory Walk this week wore roses knitted by residents from MiLife Rosewood Park. Lowry approached the group with the idea of knitting something for the Memory Walk. The response was a donation of 350 purple knitted flowers.
Rosewood Park residents had always donated knitted garments and blankets to the community — initially providing their own wool — but as stocks ran out they were able to continue knitting with wool donated by the community.
Lowry said in previous year purple T-shirts were printed for the event, but limited funding didn’t allow for a reprint this year.
“The ladies were all on board to help the community and started creating these beautiful purple flowers. We were very lucky to have donations of wool to assist them, and we thank those that generously have donated to their knitting projects. Fantastic effort ladies,” she said.
Alzheimers Manawatu¯, which covers the Horowhenua, Tararua and Manawatu¯ regions, ran a programme four days a week at the Freemason’s Hall at Parker Ave in Levin (10am3pm) that was as much about maintaining social stimulation and cognitive function as it was giving caregivers some respite.
The emphasis was on fun and playing games, like quizzes, and creating arts and crafts.
“It’s really important that the support is there for carers. It’s a huge job and they need that support and they need a break,” she said.
There were a range of programmes that existed for people with dementia and their caregivers while they were still living at home, like the Memory Cafe where the club met once a month for a cup of tea in Levin Mall.
Lowry said there was no pressure to become involved in any of the programmes, only to make people aware that there was support if needed. It was natural for people to be hesitant about seeking help, but once they see the support that is available and start to feel comfortable, they keep coming back.
“The Memory Cafe has been an amazing front door for us,” he said.
“Everyone’s journey can be different. It just helps if we can customise care and respond to their particular needs.”
Alzheimer’s disease occurs when brain cells progressively degenerate and die. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is currently unknown, although scientists believe there is a causal connection between lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time.
Researchers have found several genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, although less than 5 per cent of Alzheimer’s cases are believed to be linked to a specific genetic change.
Lowry said there are drugs on the market that were modestly successful at treating some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s such as memory loss and attention skills. As science progresses there is hope that medicines and other therapies can be developed to delay, prevent or maybe even reverse the disease.