Alzheimer’s Gisborne warns dementia numbers set to double by 2050

Volunteer Chris O'Keefe working alongside Erika Nielsen at the Sherwood Club, which provides people who suffer mild to moderate dementia the opportunity to come together for social interaction and activities.

Alzheimer’s Gisborne Tairāwhiti says it will continue to work hard following the “staggering” prediction the number of people suffering dementia in the district will double over the next 25 years.

Statistics based on the 2024 Census confirm the number of people with dementia is on the increase.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually impacting the ability to carry out simple tasks. It is the most common form of dementia.

In 2015, an estimated 540 people in the Gisborne region had dementia. Ten years later, that figure has risen to 704.

“Even more staggering is the prediction for the next 25 years this number will nearly double, bringing the total of people with the disease to 1210 by 2050,” Alzheimer’s Gisborne Tairāwhiti manager Tracy Robinson said.

Alzheimer’s Gisborne Tairāwhiti is the sole provider of dementia-specific support in the region. The organisation works with 78 people with varying forms of dementia, along with 155 care partners and whānau.

It provides a day programme (three days a week) called the Sherwood Club for people with mild to moderate dementia.

People get to experience “meaningful cognitive stimulation” by engaging with others in a group environment.

The Sherwood Club provides a variety of activities, including sewing – making soft toys for sale, which generates a small income for the group.

“We know we are only working with about 10% of those with the disease and would love to be able to increase our reach, but there are a number of factors that prevent this from happening,” Robinson said.

Data gathered throughout New Zealand by the University of Auckland confirmed there was still a huge amount of stigma connected to the word dementia, she said.

“People don’t like to acknowledge it. This is more prevalent among the Asian population, but is also very high among Māori and Pacific Island communities.

“A contributing factor to the growing number of people with dementia is our ageing population. But 8% of the dementia population is made up of people under the age of 65 who have early onset dementia (6760 people nationwide).”

Robinson said 14 modifiable factors had the potential to halve the risk of getting the disease.

These include reducing smoking and alcohol intake, treating vision and hearing loss and addressing high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Social isolation – the breakdown of quality social interactions – is another contributor to dementia.

The Sherwood Club addresses this by providing the opportunity for people to come together for social interaction.

Engaging in crafts like making soft toys was an excellent way to stimulate the brain to produce endorphins, Robinson said.

“Working in a group with others, making things for others to enjoy like soft toys, helps slow down the progression of dementia.”

Toys and crafts made at the Sherwood Club are being donated to Anglican Social Services for its Growing Through Grief programme. They have also been used as raffle donations.

To find out more about the support offered by Alzheimer’s Gisborne Tairāwhiti, call (06) 8670752 or email gisborne.alzheimers@xtra.co.nz.

The facts

• Over 55 million people worldwide had some form of dementia in 2020.
• This number will almost double every 20 years to reach 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.
• Someone in the world develops dementia every 3.2 seconds.
• About 83,000 Kiwis are living with dementia in 2025. About 6700 of them are under 65 years old.
• This number could nearly double to almost 170,000 by 2050.
• Every hour, three people develop dementia in New Zealand and that is expected to rise to four by 2050.

– Facts from Alzheimer’s Disease International and Alzheimer’s New Zealand