Keeping our foot on the accelerator

I became aware very quickly that this topic was one many people did not want to hear much about. At the start, I would give community talks to half-empty rooms. Years later, I would speak to the same groups and the rooms were filled to capacity.

Other organisations in the region were approached with offers of fundraising events, donations and sponsorship. But not ours. Instead we filled out endless grant applications and juggled resources.

I can’t really say when a noticeable change began, only that slowly, it did. Funders started calling us with offers, and we were asked to be the recipient charity for events. Community groups wanted to hear about dementia; how could we help, what did it all mean? How could they help us, what did we need?

The year I started, I coordinated my first ever street collection and stood on a corner with my collection tin. I have never felt so invisible in all my life.

But by 2018, virtually every collection volunteer was commenting on the sheer amount of stories that donors were sharing. And the volunteers themselves often came from outside the organisation, and almost all because they had a personal experience of dementia.

By this point, dementia was being talked about more openly on the world stage, recognised by the World Health Organisation as a global challenge. Dementia friendly initiatives were popping up. People with dementia had a voice and it was finally being heard!

In March 2019, after almost two decades, I stepped down from my role as Manager of Alzheimers Otago. I left feeling confident with everything that had and was on the way to being achieved.

It’s been a few months now, so I’ve had some time to reflect, and the steps certainly do not feel as steep as they used to. However, it is still apparent that dementia, an issue which affects around 80% of us in some way, is not discussed as openly as it needs to be.

Yes, the road ahead does seem easier now, but we’ve got to keep the momentum going.

The fact that there is now over 5,000 Dementia Friends and organisations signing up to become Dementia Friendly is evidence of how far we’ve come.

Alzheimers Otago and all the other local organisations across the country have accomplished a lot and every person who was a part of that in any way should feel proud. Now, we’ve just got to keep our foot on the accelerator. If we do, just imagine where we might be in another twenty years’ time!

Julie Butler