Windows on dementia

Alzheimers Northland Manager Trudi Bridges and Alzheimers Whanganui Manager Renee Clark share their insights on dementia support for World Alzheimers Month, hosted by Alzheimers NZ Senior Communications Advisor Amie Hickland.

This is timely  before the launch of the World Alzheimer Report 2025 on dementia rehabilitation. While the concept of rehabilitation can have certain connotations, for people with dementia it is about maintaining and often improving both physical and cognitive function to help improve overall quality of life.

We’ve recently announced a new partnership between our Dementia Learning Centre and the Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research (CCREATE-AGE) at the University of Auckland to develop the first dementia design training and toolkits for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our friend and partner Co-Director CCREATE-AGE and Joyce Cook Chair Professor Ngaire Kerse, and our very own Dementia Learning Centre’s Director Caroline Bartle share more with our Principal Advisor Services and Standard Lyneta Russell.

Together, we’ll promote excellence in ageing and dementia research and service delivery in an inclusive and practical way – specialising in supporting organisations to meet emerging design principles. 

Alister Robertson – who lives with dementia mate wareware – and Rosie Chambers, Manager of Alzheimers South Canterbury, recently joined our Parliamentary Friends of Dementia group to share their lived experience.

From diagnosis to the hard realities facing organisations in terms of funding, here’s what Alister and Rosie shared with MPs at Parliament recently.

Useful links:

• My Life’s Journey app
• Joint Service Delivery Model with Dementia NZ
• Local Alzheimers and Dementia organisations

This audio was recorded 9 April 2025.

Chief Executive Catherine Hall interviews 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow Dr Campbell Le Heron in our latest podcast about his research and other breakthroughs around the globe.

Campbell’s research has a focus on neurodegenerative diseases with two big pillars – the first being cognitive neuroscience mechanisms (the problems people experience in the setting of things like like Alzheimers).

The second pillar is around clinical trials and trying new treatments for Alzheimers. Campbell also discusses the reality of some of the latest medications available around the world.

Find out more about Campbell’s research in the podcast below.

In this final episode of the series, Dementia Learning Centre Director and Ellen Bragger delve into the transformative potential of digital technology in dementia education.  

From virtual reality experiences to gamification and artificial intelligence, they investigate how the Dementia Learning Centre at Alzheimers New Zealand is embracing innovation to enhance learning while maintaining human connection at the heart of care.  

Caroline introduces several exciting new initiatives set to launch in 2025 that will revolutionise dementia care training across Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Subscribe now for more information on upcoming events at the Dementia Learning Centre. 

In this insightful episode, Dementia Learning Centre Director Caroline Bartle discusses her ambitious vision for dementia mate wareware education in Aotearoa New Zealand for 2025.  

From innovative training programmes to cutting-edge technology, she outlines how the Centre will support and transform dementia mate wareware care while prioritising people at the core of their work.  

This third episode in the series explores how the Dementia Learning Centre will enhance Alzheimers New Zealand’s essential role in supporting people living with dementia and their whānau. 

Subscribe now for more information on upcoming events at the Dementia Learning Centre. 

In this illuminating discussion, Dementia Learning Centre Director Caroline Bartle shares her insights into delivering impactful dementia education, drawing from her experience running a social enterprise in the UK and her academic research.  

She and Ellen Bragger examine how combining emotional engagement with practical experience fosters lasting change in dementia care.  

Together, they explore the elements that make training truly effective from storytelling to virtual reality and why the future of learning must extend beyond the classroom into everyday practice. Part two of this series reveals how the Dementia Learning Centre at Alzheimers New Zealand is reimagining education for real-world impact. 

Subscribe now for more information on upcoming events at the Dementia Learning Centre. 

In this initial episode of a four-part series, Dementia Learning Centre Director Caroline Bartle joins Ellen Bragger to discuss the challenges facing dementia mate wareware education in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

They address the complexities of delivering effective training across diverse healthcare settings, the impact of high staff turnover, and the necessity for standardised approaches.  

This thought-provoking conversation sets the foundation for future episodes by highlighting the importance of evolving traditional training methods to better serve individuals living with dementia mate wareware, their whānau, and healthcare professionals.  

Subscribe now for more information on upcoming events at the Dementia Learning Centre. 

It seems there’s news about breakthroughs for dementia mate wareware every week!

Professor Lynette Tippett and Dr Etu Ma’u – of the University of Auckland – join Chief Executive Catherine Hall to kōrero (talk) about what’s new.

Lynette is Director of the Dementia Prevention Research Clinics where they are researchingfactors and biomarkers that influence progression of memory difficulties and that promote brain health in New Zealanders, and Etu is also a consultant old age psychiatrist with Health NZ Waikato. 

The first part of this podcast covers some of the latest news about diagnosis, biomarkers and testing. The second part explores risk reduction.

Resources

• The growing burden of dementia in Aotearoa: Scope for prevention
• Dementia Prevention Research Clinics
• Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan

This podcast was recorded on 29 November 2024.

Local Alzheimers and Dementia organisations provide vital support to people and their whānau living with dementia mate wareware.

Alzheimers NZ Principal Advisor Services and Standards Lyneta Russell is joined by Managers Heather Lackner (Nelson/Tasman) and Helen Frank (Taranaki) for an insight into what’s happening at the coalface of local services. They discuss the ins and outs of the services they provide and the impact they make in their local communities.

If you or anybody you know needs more support, reach out to your local Alzheimers or Dementia service around the country.