February 28, 2024
Tikanga training for dementia carers
Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi and the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research have developed a new dementia care programme incorporating tikanga Māori.
Makarena Dudley, the centre’s deputy-director for Māori, says whānau Māori tend to care for whānaunga with dementia at home rather than sending them in to rest homes.
She says the six-month programme launched yesterday at Roma Marae in Ahipara will give caregivers learning and support.
“We know caregiver burnout is an enormous problem and that’s something that we want to try and mitigate and enable the caregiver the whānau to continue to look after their loved one at home for as long as possible,” Ms Dudley says.