Dementia charity faces up to rising challenge
Dementia is one of New Zealand’s most significant healthcare challenges, touching the lives of two out of three people in the country and so prevalent the number of people living with the illness is projected to triple by 2050.
Yet it remains a little understood condition, more than 30 decades after the region’s leading support body was established.
Dementia Canterbury rebranded last November from Alzheimers Canterbury, a move designed in part to reflect the diversity of illnesses that fall under the dementia umbrella.
Alzheimer’s accounts for 50-80 per cent of dementia cases but is only one of more than 70 different illnesses covered by the term. Common to them are difficulties with memory, reasoning, communication, perception and judgement.
While there is no cure for dementia, there is much that can be done to help people with the condition live enjoyable, fulfilling lives within the community, and it is this focus on ‘‘living well’’ that forms the heart of Dementia Canterbury.
The not-for-profit group is almost entirely self-funded and uses its resources to break down barriers associated with dementia, providing education, social workers and a wide range of activities designed to tie in with existing community organisations.
Services are provided free of charge to people affected by dementia, including their family and whanau, through a network across Canterbury and the West Coast that relies heavily on volunteers and the generosity of ordinary New Zealanders.
Dementia Canterbury manager Darral Campbell says special effort is made to ensure activities are not developed in isolation.
‘‘We partner with existing groups or services based in the community to create groups in normalised environments,’’ she says.
‘‘For example, in collaboration with Christchurch City Libraries, ‘Life Story’ books are created to celebrate and showcase clients’ lives through pictures, stories, newspaper clippings, et cetera.
‘‘The story books are a great tool for evoking memories, sharing stories and rekindling feelings or self-worth and significance.’’
Other organisations the group partners with include Christchurch Art Gallery, which since 2013 has been helping host the ‘‘Artzheimers’’ art appreciation group, The Court Theatre, Ronald McDonald House, where participants bake for visiting families, local swimming pools, and the Botanic Gardens, where group members share their love of gardening.
Recently, Dementia Canterbury was chosen alongside The Court Theatre as a finalist in the New Zealand 2017 Art Access Awards for its Life Stories/Youth Collaboration work.
Campbell says helping people carry on with activities they enjoy is important for a sense of purpose and comfort and because the stimulation of participating is one way of slowing the onset of symptoms.
If it is getting harder to remember people’s names or it’s tough keeping score at golf, the solution is not to avoid social interactions or to stop playing, she stresses; it is to get the support needed to keep doing it.
Campbell notes that dementia is not a ‘‘normal’’ part of the ageing process, as it progresses far beyond any expected forgetfulness.
The speed, severity and treatment of conditions differs among individuals. Causes are equally diverse.
Behind Alzheimer’s, the second most common form of dementia is vascular dementia, accounting for 20-30 per cent of cases and most commonly caused by strokes.
Dementia with Lewy bodies and fronto-temporal dementia are other distinct forms, and having a doctor identify the root problem is important for receiving the correct medication.
Campbell says that to avoid dementia in the first instance, a general rule of ‘‘what’s good for the heart is good for the brain’’ can be applied. This includes following a healthy diet and being physically active, although definitive explanations for why people develop dementia are frustratingly elusive.
To help people with dementia overcome their challenges and continue living rich and fulfilling lives, Dementia Canterbury needs the support of volunteers, donations, bequests and, in particular, understanding from the wider community.