International expert in dementia care, Professor Graham Stokes, believes more needs to be done to raise awareness and understanding of dementia – a disease that is set to double in the next 35 years.

In partnership with the Rotorua Lakes District Council, Bupa will host a talk with Graham on February 24, at the Council buildings.

Professor Graham Stokes. Photo: You Tube.

This free public event promises to provide guests with an understanding of the challenges communities are faced with in supporting those with dementia out in the community.

Both the Council and Bupa are encouraging leaders of public services including schools, supermarkets, banks and the like to attend the talk and learn what their counterparts are doing globally to create caring communities – to support people living with dementia.

With ageing populations worldwide and the numbers of people living with dementia set to rise everywhere, dementia truly is a global challenge. By 2050, 147,359 New Zealanders will have dementia – more than 2.6 per cent of the population, and more than triple current numbers. Of the total, 87,145 (59 per cent) will be female and 60,214 (41 per cent) male. Annual incidences (onset) of dementia will also more than triple, to 41,088 new cases by the year 2050.

Fortunately, the journey has already begun. Faced with the social and economic challenge of ageing populations, and the fact more people will never fully retire from the workplace or duties of care, we have a global need for a dementia friendly society.

Graham, Global Director of Dementia Care at Bupa, an author and clinician who is also an internationally recognised authority on dementia care practice and policy, clarifies the current situation.

'As we address dementia today and also in the future, we need to put the person they are at the centre of their care - treat people living with dementia as unique individuals, understanding who they are, their life story, and the reality in which they are living,” Graham says.

Rotorua Lakes Council People portfolio lead Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says having Graham talking about what communities can do to support people with dementia fits in with Rotorua's vision for 2030.

'We want to have a community which cares about its members - one where everyone has a role to play in a caring community.

'We know that an increasing proportion of older people continue to live in our community and we support that.”

According to Graham, many people believe dementia will strike later in life, however, people can begin developing the disease in their mid-40s. While improving our ability for early diagnosis is a priority, it's also important for the community to learn how to support people with dementia.

Graham is a clinical psychologist who has been working in the field of dementia care for more than two decades. He has been instrumental in leading person-centred approaches to care in his field. His research interests lie in understanding and resolving challenging behaviour in dementia and helping people with dementia live the best lives they can.