A private provider of home care to the elderly is concerned by a huge increase in enquiries in the past year and believes New Zealanders should be worried too.

Alzheimers Auckland's General Manager Bonnie Robinson fronted Radio Live's The Nutters Club talk back show on Sunday 18 July, at the end of Awareness Week. She talked about her own experiences with a family member with dementia. Listen to the show.

By 2026, the number of people in New Zealand with dementia will have doubled.  Over 42,000 people have the disease currently; this number will grow to 74, 821 in 2026 and to 146,699 by 2050.  This ‘epidemic’ is largely due to an ageing population and the fact that the disease, which results in memory loss, personality changes and loss of independence, has no cure.

Although dementia is the fourth leading cause of death in New Zealand, it is not this sobering statistic which first comes to mind, but the devastating effects the disease has on an individual.

In July 2008, Alzheimers New Zealand launched the New Zealand Dementia Economic Report 2008 which was the first of its kind to be commissioned.  The Report revealed signficant differences in the numbers of people with dementia versus the estimated numbers and put real figures around the economic cost of dementia in New Zealand.  The major findings were:

An amanzing total of $150,000 was raised at the 2010 Progressive Enterprises/Parnell Rotary Charity Golf Day. This is the biggest amount raised in the 8 years the event has been running. For futher information see the section on the Golf Day under About Us.

After visiting his mother, who has Alzheimers and lives in the UK, Arthur decided to do something to help his local Alzheimers organisation. A keen sportsman, Arthur decided to do the Taupo Ironman and be sponsored. Arthur raised $1,100 for Alzheimers Auckland. Many thanks to Arthur for all his hard work in training and encouraging sponsorship.

We recently asked a group of our carers how the services we provide made a difference. The following comment really summed up the overall experience of the carers surveyed: