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November 2024 – Connect Rima (5)
Kia ora and welcome to our final pānui of 2024.
In this issue we highlight a wonderful opportunity to check out a very special Christmas tree display and raise money for Dementia Wellington at the same time!
Everyone at Dementia Wellington is looking forward to 2025 and we have some exciting news to share! On Thursday 27, February Dementia Wellington’s Symposium will be returning at Te Papa. The theme is ‘Reimagining Dementia’ and we are very excited about how the day is shaping up. 2025 is also Dementia Wellington’s fortieth birthday and the celebrations will start at the Symposium. Read on for more details about the Symposium the Christmas Tree display, and much more.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all the people who support our mahi including our wonderful volunteers who so freely give their time, our Board of Trustees and our team. The kotahitanga (collaboration) at Dementia Wellington is strong; we work as a collective unit, and with a shared purpose, striving to support people affected by dementia mate wareware to live their best lives possible. Thank you everyone for your dedication and commitment.
I would also like to thank the people who support us financially, our individual donors, regular donors, the City Councils, Trusts and Foundations. We rely on this support to enable us to continue to deliver our full range of services. Thank you so much.
On behalf of us all here at Dementia Wellington I wish you and your loved ones a very happy holiday period. We hope you can take time out to relax and enjoy some festive celebrations with whānau and friends. Meri Kirihimete!
Ngā mihi mahana
Anne Schumacher, Chief Executive
Holiday Break Information
Christmas/New Year closing and opening hours
- Office closed from Friday, 20 December
- Office re opens from Monday, 6 January
During this period, we will not be responding to emails, calls or referrals.
As always, if you need any support during the break, please contact your GP for advice, or if it is an emergency ring 111.
All is Merry and Bright! Christmas Tree Display This weekend!
We are delighted that Phillipa from Merry and Bright is continuing her annual tradition of displaying decorated Christmas Trees. Entrance is by koha and all donations are generously gifted by Phillipa to Dementia Wellington.
This is a lovely occasion to start the festive season for all the family, young and old. Come and check out the 20 plus trees, featuring themes like Dinosaurs, Alice in Wonderland, Nightmare before Christmas, and many more!
Where: Anita’s Dance Studio, 5 King Street, Upper Hutt Central, 5018
When: Saturday, 30 November 10-6pm
Sunday, 1 December 10-6pm
Remember December – tips on preparing for Christmas
Christmas day can be a challenging time for those with mate wareware dementia. From keeping things familiar to bringing back old memories, these small steps can create a calm and enjoyable day.
Preparing for Christmas
From the family home, to the bach or beach, Christmas means something different to everyone. It’s a time when we come together with people we care about to enjoy eating, drinking and celebrating another year.
The lead up can be busy, with the hustle and bustle of coordinating the day. It may be challenging and many carers might feel anxious about Christmas Day.
Christmas can create lots of new stimulation, unfamiliar environments and a busy day can be tiring or confusing. Read our tips to keep Christmas and the holiday’s calm, relaxed and enjoyable for everyone by planning ahead.
The three main steps to planning a successful Christmas and holidays are:
1) Always consider what the person liked or disliked prior to the onset of dementia
2) Take into consideration how they cope now with people, groups, noise, chaos, changes, going to unfamiliar places etc when planning Christmas and holidays
3) Be flexible and make adjustments for how your person is now
See here for more information and tips https://dementia.nz/preparing-for-christmas/
Give with a Gift
In lieu of buying presents this Christmas consider making a donation to Dementia Wellington https://dementia.nz/wellington/#donate?region=wellington
Thank you for your support.
Dementia Wellington symposium is back!
After a couple of years off we are looking forward to hosting a symposium with a difference in 2025. Our Reimagining Dementia Symposium will combine the essence of our hugely popular Carers’ Big Day Out (lots of time to talk and network plus participating in activities) with the more traditional style symposium. We will be hosting a visiting dementia expert from the USA as well as having lots of local participants. It will be an event like no other! And to top it all off 2025 is our 40th birthday, so a big cake is on order.
We will be sending out booking details in December, but for now SAVE THE DATE, Thursday 27th February 2025. 9:30am to 3:00pm at Te Papa.
Learning about mate wareware/dementia 2025
Dementia Wellington runs regular ‘Let’s Talk about Dementia’ seminars around the Wellington region. These consist of four weekly sessions lasting 1.5 hours that are led by Sheena Farquhar, our Educator. Many topics are covered including understanding changes in behaviour and staying engaged and connected.
We are currently in the process of finalising dates, please check in with your regional Dementia Advisor during the New Year.
You can attend a session in any location across the Wellington Region.
Welcome to our new team member
For some time now we have seen client numbers in the Hutt increase, to meet this increase in demand we have just recruited a Dementia Advisor for Upper Hutt, Anna-Marie Devoe, who we will introduce in the New Year. Anna Marie will work alongside our Lower Hutt Dementia Advisor, Phillipa Cherry, who joined us in September.
Kia ora koutou,
I’m Phillipa, the Dementia Advisor for Lower Hutt. I have a social work background, previously I have mainly worked with people with disabilities.
I am British, grew up in London and moved to Lower Hutt five years ago. I have since got married and had my first daughter, she turned one a few weeks ago and keeps me very busy outside of work.
I have personal experience of loving someone living with dementia and I am really looking forward to meeting some of you, your whānau and the Lower Hutt dementia community.
How are we doing?
Can you help us improve our services?
We are keen to hear:
– what would you like more of?
– how are we doing?
– what can we do better?
The easiest way to provide feedback by using this very short form, it will only take a couple to minutes to complete https://forms.office.com/r/5Ex9XY2137, and remember, if you want a response from us you will need to enter your name and contact details.
Alternatively, feel free to email me directly anne@dementiawellington.org.nz.
I will look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions.
