Page 10 - Ageing and Dementia: A compendium of New Zealand research literature

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Dr. Stephen Jacobs,
School of Nursing, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences,
University of Auckland, Auckland.
On the 10th September, 2014, the Ministry of Health published Improving the lives of people
with dementia, (Ministry of Health, 2014) in which it stated that over the next three years, the
Ministry will support action in nine key areas to improve the quality of life for people with
dementia.
These action areas are to:
 Implement a nationally consistent approach to dementia care
 Increase dementia awareness
 Reduce the risk of dementia
 Increase access to a timely diagnosis of dementia
 Provide navigation of services and increase the quality of information and education
 Increase the ability of people with dementia to remain living at home
Increase the quality of information and education for the workforce
 Develop dementia-friendly health and social support services
 Provide respectful and supportive end-of-life care.
Action about the health and support service aspects of these actions is already underway. A
New Zealand Framework for Dementia Care was published by the Ministry of Health (2013) to
provide leadership for District Health Boards (DHBs) and the wider sector. In the 2012
Government budget, $10 million over four years was committed to support DHBs to develop
and implement their own dementia care pathways by 2014, with the Ministry monitoring the
progress of development and implementation of these pathways.
The framework was developed using international evidence, good practice resources, expert
opinion and conversations with people with dementia and their families and whānau. It
provides a guide that DHBs can use as they work with primary, secondary and community health
and social support services (including social, information, emergency and housing) to develop
clear, consistent, well-resourced and easily accessible dementia care pathways. The framework
has three guiding principles and highlights five key elements for effective dementia care. It also
identifies overarching factors that must be considered across all five key elements.