Te Manawa in Palmerston North receives dementia friendly recognition

Alzheimers New Zealand dementia friendly co-ordinator Kate MacIntyre (right) presents Te Manawa staff Andy Lowe, Janet Ellery and Pru Pim with a certificate in recognition of the museum's work to achieve dementia friendly standards. Photo / Judith Lacy

Te Manawa is the first museum in Aotearoa to be acknowledged for taking into account the needs of people with dementia.

Alzheimers New Zealand has recognised the Palmerston North museum as working to be dementia friendly.

Alzheimers New Zealand chairwoman Ngaire Dixon told a celebration on Monday that the lives of New Zealanders living with dementia matter.

"That's why it's so very pleasing to see Te Manawa commit so strongly to becoming more understanding and accepting of people living with dementia. Your commitment to being a museum without boundaries, to tackling things that prevent people from any community seeing the museum as a place of belonging aligns strongly to the ethos of being dementia friendly."

Dixon said people with dementia are highly likely to encounter stigma, fear and misunderstanding about the condition.

"Too often those around us – whānau, friends, co-workers – withdraw or treat us differently when they find out about the diagnosis. And at a difficult time when support from family and friends is most important, people affected by dementia are increasingly isolated.

"By working to become dementia friendly you are helping to make that journey a little easier, a little less painful."

Te Manawa not only met the requirements for working to be dementia friendly recognition, but took into account the additional requirements for the dementia friendly award accreditation. The seven standards include staff and volunteers having an
awareness and understanding of dementia and the organisation having a continuous improvement plan to make its physical environment accessible to people
with dementia.

Dixon said changes that are dementia friendly are good for everyone – good signs and information, helpful, understanding and educated staff, and easy navigation improve accessibility for all communities.

"We particularly liked what you said Andy, 'We want to bring people who are often invisible and make them visible in our environment'."

She acknowledged Te Manawa's Museum in a Box – a portable museum reminiscence experience. "We understand this is a big hit, and a fantastic conversation and memory generator for people."

Dixon applauded Te Manawa holding a special Santa's Cave event to reduce the busyness and sensory demand of the experience for older visitors.

Te Manawa was accorded working to be dementia friendly recognition in December 2019. But a combination of Covid-19 and busy diaries meant the strawberries and champagne celebration was rescheduled five times.

Alzheimers New Zealand dementia friendly co-ordinator Kate MacIntyre told the Guardian that while other museums were looking at the programme, none had yet enrolled.

She said 70 per cent of people with dementia live in the community, yet often when people think about those with dementia they think secure care.

Alzheimers New Zealand wants to help people with dementia live in their own homes and continue to do things they enjoy, MacIntyre said.

Alzheimers Manawatu manager Tracy Lynn said Te Manawa's achievement ties in nicely with Alzheimers Manawatū's new facility in Elliott St that opened six months ago.

"We need to bring dementia out of the darkness and destigmatise it."

Museum in a Box co-ordinator Pru Pim said there are now eight memory boxes that can be taken to schools, retirement villages and community groups. They are dance, the Queen's jubilee, marriage, haircare, food technology, The Square, Christmas and the about-to-be launched societies.