Working Together To Care For The Carers

Working Together To Care For The Carers

From 25 June – 22 July Countdown supermarket stores across the country will be accepting donations from customers to help support the work of local Alzheimers organisations in the community. In conjunction, Alzheimers New Zealand will be running their biggest fundraising drive this year, their annual Appeal Week from July 16 – 22.

Throughout the week Alzheimers New Zealand volunteers will be collecting outside various Countdown stores with the hope of raising funds and awareness to help them to achieve their mission of making life better for all people affected by dementia.

Currently over 48,000 people are living with dementia in New Zealand. This number is set to double every 20 years due to New Zealand’s ageing population.

However, the true human cost of the disease is well over 300,000, according to those working in the field, who say it takes up to seven pairs of hands to care for one person with dementia. These carers effectively put their ‘normal’ lives on hold while caring for a person with dementia, often sacrificing careers, social interactions and financial stability in the process. Countdown recognises the importance of carers and their immeasurable contribution to a person with dementia, which is why their focus of support in the 2012 appeal is ‘caring for the carer’.

Managing Director of Countdown, Dave Chambers said Countdown has supported Alzheimers New Zealand for nearly a decade. “This year we’re asking our customers join us and help care for the carers and raise much needed funds for local Alzheimers support services,” he said.
Countdown customers are invited to donate at our checkouts between 25 June and 22 July. Donations can be made by cash, Eftpos or credit card. The money raised from Countdown will help Alzheimers New Zealand local organisations enable people with dementia to live life to the fullest and support whānau to cope with the demands of caring.

Countdown is also offering free delivery for online grocery shopping to the families and carers of those with dementia. The promotional code is available through local Alzheimers support offices.

Since its inception in 1985, Alzheimers New Zealand has grown from a community support organisation, to a nationwide organisation with 21 local Alzheimers organisations. Tens of thousands of individuals, as well as their families and support networks, are supported annually and the organisation has become the ‘go to’ authority for the dementia community. Nationally, the dementia community is supported through leadership, information and advocacy. Locally, the organisation serves its community through support services such as information, education, support groups and day or activity programmes.

With dementia so rapidly on the rise, Alzheimers New Zealand and its local organisations has had to adopt new strategies to boost its capacity to meet the demand for its services. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is funding these services.

“We are calling on the communities we serve to support their local Alzheimers organisations by giving generously either to our collectors or in your local Countdown store. Our 21 Alzheimers organisations need urgent support to sustain services. Our fear is that people will struggle through their journey with dementia, placing an enormous toll on themselves and their families, without the support they deserve,” says Alzheimers New Zealand board chairman Martin Brooks.

- Ends -

© Scoop Media