Once a month on a Thursday morning, the Tairua Carers’ Group meets at St Frances House. It’s an appointment I never miss. Our facilitator, Janine Appleby from Dementia Waikato, always seems to know exactly what we need in the way of encouragement and information.

Late last year, not knowing that my husband, Dave, and I were soon to embark on a trans-Tasman trip to visit my brother, Janine introduced us to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard. The trip was a gift from my mother who realised that Dave’s and my travelling days were fast coming to an end. In June 2019, he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Sunflower lanyard scheme is a world-wide organisation whose purpose is to provide individuals with hidden disabilities a means of discretely making the invisible visible. For a small fee, you can purchase through the above website a lanyard and name tag to wear around your neck to indicate that you need extra time and attention to complete transactions.

Thanks to Janine’s timely information, I was able to order Dave’s lanyard from the website shop prior to our departure. It took only three days to be couriered by New Zealand Post but the website does suggest that, depending on your location, you should allow up to two weeks.

Because Dave was wearing his lanyard when we arrived at Auckland airport, we received the extra attention and support that we needed at each step of the way, on departure from Auckland, during the flight, and on arrival and departure at Melbourne airport. It was impressive.

Initially, I thought that the Sunflower lanyard scheme functioned primarily at travel places like airports but, on return home, I noticed the scheme advertised by our local Pak ‘n Save. More and more New Zealand businesses seem to be signing up.

After our recent experience, Dave and I can’t speak highly enough of this quiet but effective scheme.

The lanyard is free from airports. You can also get them from some other locations including libraries, Westfield malls, and health care centers.