Dementia

Dementia affects almost all of us. Nearly four out of five Kiwi families have to support or know someone who develops dementia.

New Zealand has switched from one dementia screening test to another, from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA©) to the Mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (Mini-ACE). The new cognitive screening test evaluates four main areas – orientation, memory, language and visuospatial function. It is now the recommended screening tool for use by primary …

Chef Terence Austin is on a mission – to ensure those with the eating condition dysphagia get presented with meals that look, smell and taste just as good as those served to people without the condition. People with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing liquids and solids. It’s a growing problem among …

Hayley Guglietta helped look after her mum, Patricia Norris, at home during the early stages of dementia. She then went through the process of getting long-term care for Patricia. Hayley now volunteers for Dementia Canterbury. Here, Hayley shares some of the lessons she has learned. You and your dad spent …

Monday September 21 is World Alzheimers Day, an opportunity to reflect on a condition that 170,000 Kiwis are expected to be living with by 2050. ‘Wandering’ is identified as a symptom of dementia but why don’t we just call it ‘walking’? Caroline Egan of HelloCare explores why the words we …

The Chief Ombudsman says his independent inspections of privately run aged care facilities offer some valuable lessons as the sector enters another ‘lockdown’. Peter Boshier released a report on August 18 into his inspection of six facilities providing secure dementia and psychogeriatric care, during COVID-19 Alert Levels 3 and 4 in …

The Dementia Action Plan 2020 to 2025, released in May, has as one of its four objectives “building accepting and understanding communities” to improve the wellbeing of people living with the disease. “Stigma and a lack of awareness, poor understanding and barriers to inclusion are among the most devastating things …

The decision by the Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, to visit dementia units to “shine a light” on conditions there during the COVID-19 lockdown also means he will bring a fresh perspective to an aged care sector that can only benefit from his independent eyes. While some in the sector may bridle …

Achieving greater awareness and understanding of dementia has been a priority of Dementia and Alzheimer’s associations in New Zealand and worldwide. There has been an assumption that greater understanding and awareness are key to tackling the stigma surrounding the disease. The thinking has been broadened beyond awareness under the banner …

Despite much research into the causes of dementia, many unanswered questions remain. The current evidence demonstrates that multiple factors, including age, genes, environment and lifestyle factors, contribute to whether a person develops dementia. However, recent research points to the possibility that up to half of the total dementia burden in …