Throughout the world someone is diagnosed with dementia every seven seconds. Dementia is the name for a group of symptoms caused by diseases that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Millions of people throughout the world live with dementia. Millions more families and friends live with the daily challenges of dementia. People of all ages, ethnicity and intellectual ability can be affected by dementia and while it is more common in people aged over 65, younger people are also affected. Dementia is distressing and progressive and its effects are far reaching.

Research News from the Alzheimers New Zealand Charitable Trust

The Alzheimers New Zealand Charitable Trust is solely dedicated to dementia research. The Trust’s primary objective is to support individuals and organisations who are providing medical and social research for the benefit of people (directly or indirectly) affected by dementia. 

The closing date for the next funding round has been extended. Up to $15,000 is available fore research focused on the medical and social aspects of dementia. Any relevant topic will be considered. The closing date for applications is now Friday the 27th of January 2012.
Applicants should follow the information provided in the document “Small Project Grants” available to download.

 

 In 2010 an Alzheimers New Zealand Charitable Trust research grant of $14,715 was awarded for the study Sleep of older people with dementia and those who live them: Pilot of an intervention (Miss Rosemary Gibson, Professor Philippa Gander, Dr Linda Jones and Professor Tony Dowell).

 

Matthew Croucher, Susan Gee, Margaret Francis, Rachael Beever and Gillian Bastion (grant recipients in 2009) have completed their project “A settling effect at a difficult time of day"?  Does Tai Chi have beneficial effects on challenging behaviour in an inpatient psychogeriatric ward?”. Matthew Croucher reports:

“ The CDHB-hosted Psychiatry of Old Age Academic Unit recently evaluated the short-term effect of Tai Chi on behavioural disturbance in a dementia specialty inpatient ward. The Alzheimer's NZ Charitable Trust and the Canterbury Health Care of the Elderly Education Trust kindly gave grants to enable two summer studentships in 2009 / 2010 as well as equipment to assist with this research. A randomised controlled study was conducted comparing three conditions - standard care, music, and Tai Chi in the mid afternoon. This is a time of "sundowning" and increased frequency of challenging behaviours from some people with dementia. Although no difference between the conditions was found for direct observational measures of agitation or changes in emotion in the late afternoon, a combined measure of the use of non-scheduled psychotropic medication and use of physical restraint was slightly but significantly lower on Tai Chi days than on standard care days.The study has also provided valuable experience in the use of formal measuring tools for research into challenging behaviour so that advice can be given to future researchers. The findings have been presented at the 2010 "Change Champions" conference in Sydney and a formal journal article is being submitted to a health care scientific journal early in 2011.”