Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme
As our population ages, the number of Kiwis with dementia is growing rapidly. It is having an increasing impact on businesses and organisations, affecting both customers and staff members.
Our Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme is an accreditation and recognition framework for any business or organisation to become dementia friendly. There are two options:
- Accreditation with the Dementia Friendly Award. Your business or organisation has met all seven of our Dementia Friendly standards.
- Recognition as Working to be Dementia Friendly. Your business or organisation has met fundamental criteria across five of our Dementia Friendly standards.
Becoming a Dementia Friendly business or organisation shows you are a safe, friendly, accepting and supportive place for people with dementia. It also demonstrates your commitment to making life easier for your customers and staff. Not only will you be doing the right thing, it also makes great business sense too.
As a Dementia Friendly business or organisation, we will award you with a logo to tell the wider world that you have taken this positive step towards change.
“I found the whole thing a really valuable experience that made me feel proud of the organisation I work for.”
Get in touch
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Download the toolkit
Toolkit for businesses and organisations (PDF). It has everything you need to know to get started.
Dementia Friendly Awards
Click here for a full list of Dementia Friendly Awards.
Your stories
Summerset
“We have found the Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme to be a fantastic way to educate our staff and residents, and are thrilled with how integral it has become at Summerset even in the short time we have been involved.”
Bupa
“This award supports our ongoing commitment to provide ‘person first, dementia second’ care to our residents who are living with dementia and memory loss. We are humbled to be the first healthcare provider to achieve the Dementia Friendly Award at a national level and we will continue our important work with those living with dementia in NZ.”
Capella House
“We have found the experience to be informative and supportive. It was great to have fresh eyes work with us throughout the process and make suggestions that perhaps we had overlooked or not thought of.”
Wesley Community Action
“The accreditation process was a really valuable experience for our staff, many of whom have whānau living with dementia. It was also a lovely affirmation of the way we work. As the audit team pointed out, Wesley Community Action is already committed to the values that make an organisation dementia-friendly – respect, inclusivity, kindness and compassion.”
Public Trust
“We found the process useful as it identified areas where we could improve our environment, literature and the way we welcome and look after people living with dementia. We are planning further training sessions with Alzheimers Marlborough and Nelson/Tasman and we look forward to developing our relationship with them and their teams.”