25 February 2022
Welcome to our Connect newsletter
I hope you enjoy our new-look Connect email newsletter. This change from a posted to an email newsletter means we can keep you up-to-date while saving printing and postage costs. It also means we can produce the newsletter more often - you can expect to receive the newsletter every 2 months, and please do feel free to forward it on to your friends and family.
Like all not-for-profits, Dementia Wellington needs to be careful about our finances and that's never been more true than now. It's not that our costs are rising, it's that the number of people seeking help is increasing - by more than 200% in the last few years alone.
We all know the benefits of keeping people at home and in the community for as long as possible and we've been successfully supporting our clients to do that for the past 35 years.
However with the growth in numbers seeking our help and limited funding available, our financial outlook is less than rosy. That's why every donation and bequest is not only a gesture of support but also a lifeline for our organisation and the people we support.
Bequests like the $5,000 we recently received from a former client leave us speechless with gratitude for the generosity, and for the vote of thanks to our team.
Not everyone is in the financial position to give but all your support - of us, our clients and our mission - is truly appreciated.
Ngā mihi, Anne Schumacher, Chief Executive
Principles for maintaining services through COVID-19
To provide clarity for our service users, we have developed these principles to guide our decision making about service delivery during the Omicron wave and beyond.
- We care for our clients and know social connection is important and our service is very important. Therefore, our goal is to keep our face-to-face services operating.
- We respect our clients and support them in choosing whether to attend in person or not according to their circumstances and comfort level. We know that online alternatives are of limited value for some people. And that it can be uncomfortable to wear a mask for an extended time.
- We care for our staff and respect their need to stay safe. This may mean usual services are temporarily changed to accommodate their safety and wellbeing, eg phoning rather than meeting in person.
- We follow all safe practices, eg: all staff are vaccinated, vaccination pass checking, correct masks, social distancing, and signing-in.
- We choose safe venues and follow the rules of each venue. If a venue closes, we will try to find an alternative but may need to cancel and/or limit numbers.
- We know at times our staff may be ill or isolating. When this happens, services and events may be cancelled.
- We know at times our clients may be ill or isolating. When this happens we will do our best to support you remotely in any way that we can.
- We believe that communicating honestly and frequently will help us all get through this. Let us know if you have any issues or concerns, or can or can't attend any particular event.
We will keep our website updated and will communicate with you by phone or email with any updates. Please also feel free to contact us for any information and also check our Covid page. See the official Covid page here.
Upcoming Education Events
Our next series of Dementia Essentials seminars will be at Petone library on Wednesday afternoons from 1-2.30pm. The first one was in mid-February and the last is on 30 March. Each session covers different topics such as 'Understanding Changed Behaviour' and 'Dealing with Grief and Loss' - you can choose to attend just one seminar that interests you or as many as you want. Contact Sarah Togher on 020 4025 2329 or email educator@dementiawellington.org.nz to register.
Our next Navigating Dementia information session is on Wednesday 2 March 2022 at 6.00-7.30pm in the Whataitai Room, ASB Sports Centre, 72 Kemp Street, Kilbirnie. This information session covers what dementia is, how it impacts, the different stages, and the support services that are available during each stage. Contact Tina Carter on 020 411 22196 or email tina@dementiawellington.org.nz to register.
What's coming up in February, March, April
Click through to our What's coming up in February, March, April plan to see the dates of our upcoming regular activities. You can copy the relevant dates into your calendars or diaries and see what's happening throughout the Wellington region. We aim to have this always up-to-date and current but with uncertainty around Covid, things can change rapidly. Our Dementia Advisors will always try to let you know if anything changes but please contact them by email or phone if you're unsure.
Farewell to our Dementia Advisor Liz
It's with great sadness we announce that after 15 years with Dementia Wellington our Dementia Advisor, Liz O'Hare, is retiring at the end of March. Liz has delayed her retirement twice but has now decided 'it's time'. Her initial plans are to head back to the UK with her partner and sons for an extended visit, where they will reunite with family and friends and have their first face-to-face meeting with her new grandchild, 20-month-old Sebastian. To make it extra exciting, Sebastian is soon to be joined by a new brother or sister (due in August), so Liz will be meeting two for the price of one.
People have often commented to Liz what a difficult and depressing job it must be, working as a Dementia Advisor, however she loves the contact with people, and the opportunity to share some of the knowledge she has acquired over the years with families so that they don't need to "re-invent the wheel" when supporting someone with dementia that they care about. Supporting a person through what can be a difficult and painful time in their lives, often allowed her to see the very best of people, and it is undoubtedly the people that Liz will miss when she retires. Liz has frequently talked about her hope to be made "redundant" - redundant because a cure had been found for dementia and Dementia Advisors were no longer needed. Sadly, this hasn't happened during Liz's career, but she remains hopeful that the progress made in supporting families affected by dementia in the past 15 years will continue apace.
Many of you will know Liz and have appreciated her kindness, professionalism and wisdom - whether you've just met her or known her for years. We wish her well for her new endeavours and send her off with love. We'll miss you, Liz!!
Community singing for people with cognitive memory loss
Music for Life, Dementia Wellington (from the bequests of Barbara Green's friends), and Hutt City Community Grants are offering free fortnightly singing for those who are supporting or living with a cognitive memory loss.
Barbara was an opera singer and when she developed dementia, her partner Jenny organised music therapy to support her. "At the beginning of a session Barbara could be passive and unresponsive. A couple of songs in, her foot would be tapping, then she would be humming and engaging with the music". When Barbara died last year, it felt important to honour her by providing a Community Singing Group for others with a similar diagnosis.
The group meets fortnightly on Fridays at 2:30pm at Petone Baptist Church (Vaccine Pass needed) for a cup of tea, then singing with Rani Allan from 3pm till 4pm. The next date is
4 March. All welcome and no singing experience needed.
Contact Jenny Williams on 04 562 7124 or 027 221 9460 or jennywilliamsnz@gmail.com.
For more about Community singing see Dementia Wellington's Facebook page.
New Dementia Wellington Hub in Petone
Over the past few years (in part due to Covid restrictions) our Dementia Advisors have been working from home more and more and haven't needed to use our dedicated office space in Petone. So late last year we finalised work to reorganise our office at 55 Hutt Road in Petone into a multi-purpose space that could be used for one-on-one sessions with our clients and also larger sessions like supporter groups or education sessions. We've worked hard to make it into an inviting and practical space - we hope you enjoy going there and using it as much as we do.
Book Review by Kristen Phillips - The ACB with Honora Lee
This short review of The ACB with Honora Lee by Kate de Goldi is the first in a series of book reviews written for the Dementia Foundation from Dementia Wellington Administrator Kristen Phillips. Phillips grew up in Te Awa Kairangi/Lower Hutt. Her father, Don, was diagnosed with dementia in 2011 and died in 2019. Reading about other people's experiences helped Kristen emotionally and practically around her father's illness.
Her hope is that reviewing books that deal with dementia will raise awareness of the ever-increasing number of books (fiction and non-fiction) available to support and educate those of us affected by dementia. Click here to read the book review.
Financial crunch for Dementia Wellington
Currently, Dementia Wellington is facing a challenging financial situation. It's not that our costs are rising, it's that the number of people seeking help is increasing. We all know the benefits of keeping people at home and in the community for as long as possible but support to do that is needed.
This year we plan to revitalise our fundraising efforts as this is not a problem that will go away soon - it is going to get worse. By 2032 between 50,000 to 80,000 people in the Wellington region will be living with mate wareware/dementia and of those approximately 70% will be living in their own homes needing Dementia Wellington services.
We hope you will continue to support us by the spreading the word of the work we do and, if you are able, to make a contribution to our campaigns and fundraising activities through the coming year. In the meantime there is still time to donate to our Christmas campaign. The best way to donate is directly to our bank account. Check out the details here.
Radio NZ interview with Wendy Mitchell about dementia
Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with young-onset dementia in 2014, when she was just 58 years old. But, rather than this signalling the start of a total decline, for Mitchell the diagnosis offered a new beginning. Shocked by the lack of awareness about dementia, she has dedicated her life to changing perceptions and proving life remains for the living.
Mitchell's new book 'What I wish people knew about dementia' explores the experience of living with dementia and follows her celebrated 2018 memoir 'Somebody I used to know'.
Listen to the full Radio New Zealand Kim Hill interview here
Thanks to our Ambassadog Arya!
Thank you so much to Arya for running her 'Tis the Seas-Sun Beach Bash'. She visited the eleven beaches from Oriental Bay to Red Rocks before Christmas Day - reaching her goal of raising $1000 for Dementia Wellington through a Givealittle page.
We are so happy to have Arya as our ambassadog and appreciate her support. If you are keen to run your own fundraiser for Dementia Wellington, please get in touch and we'll help promote what you are doing.
Are you able to support people affected by dementia in Wellington?
Would you like to support our work?
Click here to donate
Donations of $5 or more are tax-deductible
Dementia Wellington is a registered charity (CC56108) and an affiliate of Dementia NZ.
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