New Cases Of Dementia Picked Up By Researchers

Up to half of people with dementia in some New Zealand communities are receiving no help for the condition, early research results show.

The IDEA project - Impact of Dementia mate wareware and Equity in Aotearoa – has just completed its first year of the biggest ever study of dementia in New Zealand.

Fifty multicultural interviewers have knocked on more than 20,000 doors in Christchurch and Auckland over the past year, says lead researcher Professor Ngaire Kerse, a director of the University of Auckland’s Centre for CoCreated Ageing Research and the Joyce Cook chair in Ageing Well.

About 600 Chinese, Indian and European people aged 65 and over have been interviewed.

“Between a third and a half of people in each group had no idea they had memory problems, so they were not known to services.

“There’s a lot of stigma about dementia, so families might not want their loved ones to be exposed to that.

“Once people get past the stigma, getting a diagnosis can be extremely helpful, because it opens access to social support, home help, personal care and support groups,” says Kerse, who also works as a GP.

Dementia progresses slowly, so early diagnosis can allow people to prepare for the future and organise enduring power of attorney, before they lose the capacity.

“Once there’s a diagnosis, we can do a lot to improve people’s quality of life and demystify what is happening to a loved one,” says Kerse.

The project has been able to help several older people and caregivers who were experiencing distress in the face of dementia, by referring them to agencies providing additional support.

A workshop on 16 April at Birkenhead Senior Citizens Hall will celebrate the success of the project so far and offer information on ageing and brain health.

The research will soon launch on the North Shore, where 30 interviewers will carry out four-minute interviews with people aged 65 and over. They aim to complete 700 more interviews overall, bringing the total to 1300.

“We’re trying to establish the prevalence of dementia in Chinese, Indian and European populations, because this is not currently known in New Zealand – as strange as that may seem.

“It’s a really important study, because we need to know the exact prevalence, so we can plan for future needs and provide better care and support,” says Kerse.

Dementia is associated with loss of memory, mental confusion, language problems, spatial perception difficulties, and changes in mood and behaviour. It affects people more as they age, so roughly five percent of people aged over 65 live with dementia, but this increases to more than 30 percent in people aged over 85.

The project was launched in April 2024 with a $4.9 million grant from the Health Research Council. Parallel projects are looking into dementia in Māori and Pacific populations in Aotearoa.

An equity analysis will be carried out, to understand barriers to care and the best ways to help people with dementia flourish.

Later in the five-year project, the researchers will interview caregivers to find out more about the challenges they face and their tips and tricks for managing dementia.

“We want to co-create improved support for people who are caring for older people with dementia, because they can get quite stressed. This might be a new service or new ways of delivering support to meet the needs of specific ethnic groups.

“At present, we’re hearing from Indian and Chinese communities that there are cultural barriers to accessing services for people with dementia and support for caregivers.”

The study will compare information uncovered during the interviews with existing data within the National Health Index. This will help assess how many new people with dementia are found and whether known cases have been picked up through the interviews.

All are welcome at the Healthy Ageing and Brain Health Workshop on 16 April at 2.30pm at 251 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead, Auckland. Register by emailing brainhealth@ageconak.org.nz.

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