Haumanu Whakaohooho Whakāro – Māori is a type
of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) and the first to be
specifically adapted for Māori
kaumātua.
Māori with mild to moderate mate
wareware or dementia, will now have access to a new and
tailored therapy that can improve their quality of
life.
Haumanu Whakaohooho Whakāro – Māori is a
type of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) and the first of
its kind that is specifically adapted for Māori kaumātua,
thanks to Dr Makarena Dudley (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu), a
researcher at the Centre of Brain Research at Waipapa
Taumata Rau, with support from Alzheimers NZ.
She says
Haumanu Whakaohooho Whakāro – Māori is a significant
step in Aotearoa New Zealand’s efforts to provide valuable
and viable dementia care.
The manual for Haumanu
Whakaohooho Whakāro – Māori will be launched at Te
Mahurehure Marae (Tāmaki Makaurau) on March 1.
“CST
has shown to improve cognitive functioning and quality of
life with people who are in the early to moderate stages of
dementia,” Dudley says.
“But I think for any
intervention to be effective, it must fit within the
cultural context of the person who is receiving
it.
“There was evidence of this when we spoke to
kaumātua with mate wareware on the marae for that window of
time, all the difficulties they were experiencing – the
confusion, the inability to find the right words, and so on
– disappeared.
“And so Haumanu Whakaohooho
Whakāro – Māori has been embedded within a Māori
environment, both physically and mentally.”
The
therapy comprises 15 activity-based sessions held twice
weekly for seven weeks with groups of up to eight
people.
Based on theoretical concepts of reality
orientation, validation, reminiscence and cognitive
stimulation, each session has a different focus.
These
can include topics such as sounds, orientation, childhood,
food, physical games and current affairs – all of which
stimulates thinking and memory recall.
“There is
very little support available for whānau living with mate
wareware in the community, and it’s essential for
participants to have fun and enjoy the sessions,” Dudley
says.
“CST can address that gap by providing a
platform for whānau to engage in a programme that has the
potential to slow down the progress of mate wareware, in an
environment that is embedded in tikanga Māori and Te Ao
Māori.”
Alzheimers NZ Chief Executive Catherine
Hall is delighted to have partnered with Dr Dudley for this
important mahi and looks forward to Aotearoa New Zealand’s
first ever Māori CST programme being
available.
“This work is incredibly important as it
will support Māori and people living with dementia mate
wareware to live their best possible lives in their
communities.”
Collaborations on this project include
Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr Tai Kake (Ngāpuhi),
Alzheimers NZ’s Dementia Learning Centre Director Dr Kathy
Peri and School of Medicine Associate Professor at the
University of Auckland Dr Gary Cheung.
Following the
launch, Dr Dudley will continue to work with Alzheimers NZ
to train Māori CST facilitators and then help deliver the
adapted
programmes.
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