Face to face with Dementia
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live
with Dementia?
A group of staff at the Bay of Plenty DHB
experienced this first hand recently, when they
were asked to wear goggles, headphones blasting
various background noise, ill-fitting gloves and
shoe insoles and then asked to complete simple
straight forward tasks in a set time.
The ‘Dementia Reality Tours’ as they are called,
are designed to simulate what it’s like for the
more than 60,000 New Zealanders who are living
with Dementia. For the 12 staff who took part in
the tour, it was a frustrating experience, giving
them a real insight into the challenges faced by
those with dementia.
The tours are just one of several activities
underway marking World Alzheimer’s Month.
Ruth Thomas, Midland Regional Dementia
Behavioural Support and Advisory Service coordinator, says it’s a step towards creating more
dementia-friendly communities.
Nurses Bella McMillan and Patrick White trying to complete simple straightforward
tasks while wearing equipment impairing their ability to concentrate.
“By staff experiencing what it’s like to live with
dementia even for a short ten minute period, they
gain a better understanding of the patients they
support with dementia.
“For some people it is a real eye opener. People
who’ve done the tours often comment afterwards,
that they had no idea how hard it is for people
with dementia to do simple things like putting on
a jersey.”
Ruth has been running the tours in hospitals and
health organisations from Gisborne to Taranaki
for the past four years.
Participants wear taped gloves and uncomfortable
shoe insoles to simulate arthritis, goggles to
impair their vison, and noisy headsets interfering
with their ability to concentrate.
They then have five simple tasks such as pulling
three tissues from a box to complete in ten
minutes.
Ruth says more than 150 have done the tours but
not one has ever completed all five tasks in the
set timeframe.
“People are often glad when the ten minutes is
up. You can see their frustration. They go away
saying they’ll be much more patient with those
living with Dementia in the future.”
A Matter of Taste
This is a musical production, with an
original script by playwright Andrea Kidd.
Cast and crew are Tauranga & Whakatāne
Hospital staff and friends.
The story tells the tale of a vampire family
who emigrate to NZ, fall on hard times, and
have to join to the human work force to make
ends meet. The young Griselda signs on as
a haematologist at Tauranga Hospital, but
the witches among the staff are not about to
The cast of ‘A Matter of Taste’.
let someone so different influence their turf!
Meanwhile Grandpapa vampire emerges
from a painting to stalk the corridors of the
hospital. Vampires, witches, ghosts… see
how this resolves!
An original musical performed by
Tauranga Hospital staff and friends
All proceeds go to a staff project selected by
those who attend the shows: make your pick
from several options, and support our Bay of
Plenty DHB staff in their on-going quest for
clinical excellence.
29th September to 1st October
at 7.30pm
Matinee 1st October at 2.30pm
16th Avenue Theatre, Tauranga
Get your tickets from www.iticket.co.nz