For many whānau, the first challenge after a dementia | mate wareware diagnosis isn’t understanding what dementia is – it’s knowing what to do next.

Who do you call when something changes?
Which services can help now, and which might matter later?
How do you make decisions without feeling rushed or alone?

These are the questions Dementia New Zealand hears every day. They’re also the reason behind a new partnership with New Zealand Health Group, delivered through its Geneva Healthcare brand, to strengthen how support is delivered in people’s homes.

“People affected by dementia consistently tell us that the hardest part isn’t a lack of care – it’s knowing how to navigate what’s available,” said Cathy Cooney, Dementia New Zealand Chief Executive. “This partnership brings together national dementia expertise and frontline home-based care, with a shared focus on making pathways clearer and strengthening understanding across the workforce, so whānau can make informed choices that work for them.”

Dementia New Zealand provides national leadership, coordination and advocacy, supporting a trusted Affiliate Network that delivers local, relationship-based support to people living with dementia and their whānau across Aotearoa. Central to that role is supporting self-determination – ensuring people have the information, confidence and guidance they need to make decisions that reflect who they are and what matters to them.

New Zealand Health Group is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest provider of home and community-based health services. Through Geneva Healthcare, its teams work alongside people living with dementia in their own homes every day. That continuity means care workers often build long-standing relationships with whānau, and are well placed to notice change, respond early, and support people through transitions.

Together, the partnership focuses on two areas that whānau consistently identify as critical.

The first is navigation. By strengthening referral pathways between Geneva Healthcare teams and our Affiliate Network, the partnership aims to make it easier for whānau to move between services without having to repeat their story or navigate systems alone. Clearer handovers and shared understanding help ensure people receive timely, appropriate support as their needs change.

The second is education. Dementia New Zealand’s evidence-based learning resources and specialist training will support paid care workers, care partners, and whānau in better understanding dementia, responding to change, and providing care that reflects the person, not just the diagnosis. Over time, this shared approach supports greater confidence and consistency in how dementia care is delivered across home and community.

“Our teams work alongside people and whānau in their homes every day, and we understand how important it is to feel confident and supported as needs change,” said Mike Peters, Chief Executive Officer, New Zealand Health Group.

“As a national provider, we have a responsibility to ensure our workforce has the knowledge and capability to respond well to dementia. Partnering with Dementia New Zealand strengthens that capability and helps create clearer pathways so families can access the right support at the right time.”

For Dementia New Zealand, partnerships like this aren’t about scale for its own sake. They’re about working with organisations that respect lived experience and are open to learning together.

Good partnerships are reciprocal. They combine national insight with local practice, and they improve systems in ways that are felt by people and whānau – not just described on paper.

As the number of people affected by dementia continues to grow, collaboration across the sector will matter more than ever. This partnership reflects a shared focus on working together in ways that make care easier to navigate, more consistent, and better aligned with what matters to people.