Annaliese Haven Rest Home - opening of new dementia wing

Thank you for your warm welcome - and for inviting me to speak today at the opening of your new dementia wing.

It is a triumph for you to be able to open this new wing today.

You have all been in our thoughts over the past few weeks throughout the recent serious earthquake and its many aftershocks in Canterbury.

The people of Kaiapoi were particularly affected.

I trust that you have escaped major damage to your property, and for those who did sustain damage, I hope it is not too long before you are able to set a plan in place for repairs to occur.

On 14 September Waimakariri Mayor Ron Keating wrote to me thanking the Government for its 'wonderful display of support ...towards the people of Canterbury'.

But what the government is doing is dwarfed by the magnificent show of support and solidarity from the people on the ground - the Cantabrians themselves.

Mayor Keating went on to say that the local community ' was doing our best to help our communities return as quickly as possible to some sort of normality in the short term'.

That local support has been extended by many groups including those who especially care for our older folk.

This week is Age Concern Awareness week and I was delighted that I could spend some time with the members of the local branch of Age Concern during my visit to Christchurch on 16 September.

 Following the earthquake Age Concern immediately went into action to provide its own contribution to ensure our elders were safe.  That support included home visits and checks and a coordinated plan to call a huge number of people.

I wish to restate my personal thanks and those of the Government to everyone who has contributed to getting Canterbury back on its feet.

Another organisation in every local Canterbury community is St John and demand for its Caring Caller companion service has increased over 25% since the earthquake.

Most clients are living alone and have been referred through various agencies in Canterbury. This is another fine example of communities caring for people in their homes.

And I join with Canterbury DHB who has praised the response of aged care providers who have ensured that residents have been safe and well cared for at this difficult time.

All over the world, governments are facing significant pressures in Health - and this will only increase. This is a very challenging portfolio area.

People are living longer -- and whatever our age, we all expect better services, modern technologies and new medicines.

This Government has taken the deliberate decision to take a long term view of our country's economic challenge.  We are not cutting back on health investment. We are putting in more funding.

As you know current indications are that the number of people aged 65 years and over is increasing.

At present 580,000 New Zealanders are aged 65 or older (13 percent of the population).

 By 2030, this will rise to over one million - an increase of over 85 percent.

A report published last week in Science magazine argues that rising life expectancy and improved health means the population is ageing more slowly. And this in turn means that the so-called burden of an ageing population may not be as dramatic as feared.

The American and Austrian authors say that the current methods of predicting the impact of an ageing population are wrong because they are based on chronological age... and consider people as being "old" when they are 65.

The authors say people are living longer healthier lives and, basically, "the old are not so old anymore".

People are fitter, healthier and more active.

But as you know, for many people a longer lifespan will increase the number of years these people live with a disability or chronic disease, and increases health spending over their lifetime.

Which ever of these trends prevails - and it will probably be a combination of both! - our health service must plan for the future and recognise the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases.

New Zealand needs to better anticipate the future demand for aged residential care.

And then develop long term plans to be sure services are available; making sure they are in the right place at the right time to meet the changing expectations of older people in New Zealand.

Recently a report on The Review of Aged Residential Care in New Zealand was released.

Providers of aged care services, DHBs and the Ministry of Health have worked collaboratively to review aged residential care services.

This report is the result of a collaborative effort by providers of aged care services, DHBs and the Ministry of Health.

It will greatly help our future decision making.

Its messages are clear: we have a window of opportunity to plan and to get ready, as demand remains relatively stable over the next few years. We need to invest more in hospital level and dementia care.

As the numbers of New Zealanders living longer increase, the number of people with dementia will also grow.

As you know, there is no cure and the best science can do is slow down progression.

An Australian study suggests that if the onset of dementia can be delayed 5 years, then by 2050 there would be 50% fewer of dementia than otherwise projected.

In the meantime, we need to concentrate on making sure people suffering from dementia receive quality services and live as good a life possible- whether they live at home or in residential care.

Earlier diagnosis and earlier provision of support will mean people will be able to stay longer in their homes in comfort and safety.

Like many governments around the world, this government is committed to supporting our elderly to stay in their homes as long as they can.

Caring for someone with dementia is hard work.  And that is why the new Government has boosted dedicated respite care for those caring for the elderly and those with dementia.

We have invested an additional $5 million a year specifically targeted at increasing the number of respite beds available.

There has also been mounting public concern around issues of poor care in rest homes and residential facilities and this is particularly pertinent to older people with dementia who are more vulnerable.

The new government has introduced spot auditing of rest homes, and we are reviewing auditing systems and providers.

For the first time ever, family members and older people can now see and compare audit summaries of rest homes online. This will help them know more about their options.

It is vitally important to maintain public confidence in the standard of care being provided in the country's rest homes.

Dementia will be a major driver of demand for aged residential care over the next ten to fifteen years.

People with a diagnosis of dementia have special needs over and above general care.

High quality residential care options are important services as part of the continuum of care options for individuals with dementia.

This is what you have set out to do here in designing a new wing to meet the increasing demand for quality dementia care here in the Kaiapoi area.

The demands that dementia care also makes on staffing resources and skills is widely acknowledged.

It takes special people to care for people with dementia.

At Annaliese Haven Rest Home you are rising to that challenge.

The services available in the Memory Lane - Safe Care Unit will provide the older people of the district a choice of high quality care in a safe environment.

I wish you well as you continue to provide a range of services that help to meet the needs of the older population of the Kaiapoi area.

Thank you for the opportunity to be involved in the official opening, it has been a pleasure to share this occasion with you.