Alzheimers Manawatū manager Tracy Lynn (third from left) with Palmerston North City Library staff Nora Kilpin (home services co-ordinator), content development librarian Louise Stormont and Roslyn librarian Gina Phillips. They are by the new Memory Matters collection at Roslyn Library. Photo / Judith Lacy
Alzheimers Manawatū manager Tracy Lynn (third from left) with Palmerston North City Library staff Nora Kilpin (home services co-ordinator), content development librarian Louise Stormont and Roslyn librarian Gina Phillips. They are by the new Memory Matters collection at Roslyn Library. Photo / Judith Lacy
Memory matters and so do resources for people with dementia.
Palmerston North City Library has launched a collection targeted at people living in Palmerston North with dementia and memory loss, as well as their whānau and caregivers.
More than 70,000 people live with dementia in Aotearoa. Dementia NewZealand says this is expected to increase to 170,000 by 2050.
Content development librarians Jill Pearcey and Louise Stormont began working on a dementia-friendly collection last year. They watched with interest what was happening in other libraries around New Zealand and engaged with organisations that work with people with dementia.
The first Memory Matters He Taonga te Pūmahara collection is at Roslyn Library.
The collection seeks to promote memory health, support people’s cognitive abilities, increase connection and decrease boredom.
As well as books about the condition, there are picture books to spark reminiscing.
Fiction books from Dovetale Press are a feature of the collection. Applied linguist Dr Gillian Claridge and psychogeriatrician Dr Sally Rimkeit have adapted classics for readers who might find standard books difficult because of dementia or stroke.
Pearcey said people come into the libraries seeking short stories or poems to read to someone with dementia.
There are jigsaw puzzles ranging from 13 to 100 pieces, games, magnetic picture boards, and fidget widgets to calm and engage busy hands and unsettled minds. For those who miss a paintbrush, there are Relish Aquapaints - reusable sheets that require just water.
Catering to the ears are three Simple Music Players - one for New Zealand music, one for classical and one for popular 1940s to 1980s songs. The user just needs to lift the lid to play the preloaded songs.
The resources can all be borrowed with the bonus of allowing people to try before they buy.
Memory Matters will be launched at Central Library next month. Stormont hopes all the branch libraries will eventually have a collection.
Some of the resources in the Memory Matters collection at Roslyn Library. Photo / Judith Lacy
Library staff are working with Alzheimers New Zealand towards Palmerston North libraries becoming dementia-friendly organisations.
As part of the Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme, there are five standards they’ll be working towards achieving starting with increasing their awareness and understanding of dementia.
Judith Lacy has been the editor of the Manawatū Guardian since December 2020. She graduated from journalism school in 2001 and this is her second role editing a community paper.
