World Alzheimer’s Month highlights need for early diagnosis and community support

Radar and Phil do a bit of painting at The Sherwood Club run by Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairāwhiti.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, during which organisations worldwide are highlighting the alarming rise in cases of Alzheimer’s and other common forms of dementia. The Gisborne Herald’s Kim Parkinson spoke with the wife of an Alzheimer’s sufferer and with the manager of Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairāwhiti as it looks to raise its profile.

It has been heartbreaking for Gisborne woman Pip Dymock to watch her once articulate and outgoing husband Philip become more confused as his dementia progresses.

Diagnosed in 2019, he can no longer do the simple tasks he once did so effortlessly and he often gets frustrated.

“His language is very confused,” says Dymock. “He just can’t express himself like he used to. He was a priest in the Anglican Church and used to be able to address hundreds of people.”

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, a time to bring attention to the disease, lift the profile of Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairāwhiti and raise money for the charitable organisation.

The theme for the month is: “Time to act on dementia; Time to act on Alzheimer’s”.

Statistics show there are 600 people with dementia in Gisborne, but only about 110 are engaging with Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairāwhiti.

Manager Tracy Robinson wants to change this and encourages more people to reach out and access the help available.

One of these services is the Sherwood Club - a place for people with dementia to socialise and do activities while giving carers some respite. It operates three days a week.

Dymock says at first Philip was reluctant to attend the Sherwood Club but now he is ready and waiting for the Sunshine Bus to pick him up three times a week to take him there.

“The Sherwood Club is absolutely fantastic - it’s a lifesaver. Philip’s been going for more than two years now. I don’t know how I would cope without it.”

It allows Pip to have some time to herself - to play golf and live her life outside looking after her husband as he gradually regresses.

“It gets very lonely as they can no longer have a conversation or follow a TV programme. I use music a lot. He still responds to that.”

Dymock is also part of a carers group, which she attends once a month. This gives her a chance to get support and interact with others in the same predicament.

She has also been doing grief counselling run by Alzheimers Gisborne-Tairāwhiti.

Robinson says there is a disparity between having the disease, getting a diagnosis and accepting the support programmes available.

It often begins with doctors being cautious about making a diagnosis.

When it is confirmed, the patient is often fearful as they are ashamed or believe there is no hope. Some think that it will just go away if not talked about, Robinson says.

In other cases, whānau does not accept the diagnosis and try to “cover up” for the person and their dementia symptoms.

While this might initially be out of a loving and supportive way of thinking, Robinson says it usually results in the person with dementia becoming isolated from the community, which accelerates the progression of the disease.

“The sooner the diagnosis, the sooner we can offer cognitive stimulation and socialisation programmes, which increase the chances of slowing the progression of the disease, resulting in a better quality of life for the person with dementia and their whanau.

“We need to remember that dementia is not a hopeless situation. There are strategies and support networks, and, in some cases, medication, which can be put in place to maximise quality of life.”

Alzheimers Gisborne/Tairawhiti has several events planned for World Alzheimer’s Month including an educational seminar and a special morning tea to celebrate World Alzheimer’s Day on September 26.

Its annual fundraiser, Spud in a Bucket, is already under way. For $15, people get seed potatoes to grow in a bucket until December 7, when the potatoes are removed, weighed and counted. There are great prizes for the winners.

Alzheimers Gisborne-Tairāwhiti is also running a raffle with tickets for sale most Fridays and Saturdays at Mitre 10.

As a charitable organisation, it relies on fundraising to ensure it can continue to support its clients and their families.

The funding also helps the organisation respond to the 500 calls it receives in a year from people wanting information, reassurance and support about issues around dementia.

“With four out of five New Zealanders either knowing or have known someone who has it, it is no wonder our inquiries are growing, along with our client numbers,” Robinson says.

* For those wanting more information on dementia, there is a two-hour seminar at Gisborne Sherwood Club, Gate 2, Gisborne Hospital from 10am to 12pm on September 26. It will feature issues such as what dementia looks like, the best ways to live your life if you have the disease and ways to support loved ones who have it. Registrations are essential. Phone 867-0752 or email gisborne.alzheimers@xtra.co.nz

FACT BOX:

Dementia is the overarching name for a variety of diseases that involve the progressive loss of mental and ultimately physical function.

The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease. Of all people with dementia, at least 60% have Alzheimer’s.

The other three most common forms of dementia are lewy body, vascular dementia and frontal temporal.

Every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia.

Seventy thousand people are living with dementia in New Zealand and this is expected to increase by 240% over the next 30 years to 170,000.

Some 95% of people with the disease are over 65.