
Most of us will know someone who suffers from dementia and Anne, Chief Executive and Mike, Hutt Dementia advisor, gave a brief but clear explanation of what it can be, and what can be done to help those suffering it.
Dementia is "a decline in cognitive functions". Symptoms can include decline in: memory, reasoning, performing daily functions and a change in personality.
Alzheimers is the most common type but others can be vascular, loss of blood supply to the brain, frontal temporal and brain injury such as from some sports. There are currently 77000 known people living with dementia in New Zealand, mostly over 65 and more women than men. Dementia Wellington is supporting1769 sufferers in Wellington and numbers are always increasing. If dementia has you in it's sights you cannot avoid it, but you can reduce the risk factors by -
*keeping physically, mentally and socially active
*maintaining good hearing, using hearing aids if advisable
*having a healthy diet
*not smoking
*if drinking, keep it to moderation
*managing diabetes and blood pressure
*managing depression.
Dementia Wellington assists by arranging education programmes, helping arrange support groups and arranging supported activities such as supported walks, and sometimes just by listening and providing moral support.
You can contact Dementia Wellington by email or referral by a doctor.