Bupa dementia care advisor Beth McDougall said achieving dementia-friendly status fitted with Bupa's purpose of longer, healthier, happier lives.
"We are a health and care company, so being dementia-friendly is in our nature. When we heard about the Dementia-friendly Recognition Programme we knew we wanted to be part of it to highlight the important role organisations can play in creating dementia-friendly communities.
McDougall said organisations and individuals made up a community.
"There is something each of us can do to help. Whether it is having a leaflet printed in larger words, changing the layout of a shop to be easier to get around, through to being approachable and kind – small things can make a huge difference.
"We want to share our knowledge outside of Bupa and learn from others. That's why we are actively involved in helping to make Rotorua a dementia-friendly city, and we're committed to playing a role in creating a dementia-friendly New Zealand," she said.
Bupa had five sites that achieved dementia-friendly status and were planning further dementia-friendly initiatives and were happy to share learnings with other businesses.
Alzheimers NZ chief executive Catherine Hall praised the efforts of Bupa and encouraged others to follow their lead.
"We estimate there will be over 170,000 people living with dementia by 2050 and they need to be supported with very real, tangible and practical support.
"That is why we created this Dementia-friendly Recognition Programme – to assist organisations to make sure they provide that support, as effectively and efficiently as possible.
"We celebrate Bupa's achievement as an important step along the path of making the whole country more aware of dementia and what's required to support people living with the condition."
Hall called on the government to follow Bupa's example and do its bit to achieve a dementia-friendly New Zealand by implementing the New Zealand Framework for Dementia Care.
"Neither we, nor the government can afford to do nothing about what will be a major healthcare problem for our country.
"Every organisation has a responsibility to meet the needs of its customers and because four in five people in New Zealand are affected by dementia in some way, dementia is everyone's business."
