The number of New Zealanders with dementia is expected to double in the next 20 years, with social disadvantages playing a big role.
Public Health Communication Centre's briefing reveals the risk of developing dementia is 60% higher for people living in the most deprived areas in New Zealand.
Director of the Centre for Brain Research, Sir Richard Faull told Kerre Woodham that there are about 14 factors which, when addressed, reduce the risk of developing dementia.
These factors, which include education quality, social isolation, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, uncorrected vision loss, and air quality, are often associated with poverty and deprivation.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carywood of Morning's podcast from News
Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Now, people living in New Zealand's most deprived areas are
at sixty percent more risk of developing dementia than those
living in the least deprived areas, and Mari and Pacifica
are taking the brunt of the risk. New dementia research
from the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of
Auckland shows social disadvantage as a fact of fueling the
(00:33):
country's soaring rates of dementia. So does that mean we
now know what causes dementia? And if so, does that
mean we are closer to finding a cure? To shed
some light on this, I'm joined by Distinguished Professor and
Director of the Center for Brain Research, Professor Sir Richard
fall A. Very good morning to you, Kerrie.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Lovely to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Again, Ah, always good to talk to you. Now, these
latest findings from the Department of Psychological Medicine. Was this
news or is this well known? That there's are contributing
factors towards dominions.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
You know that this is well known, but we've been
getting more, you know, clear about them. It's absolutely and
I always like and you know these these risk factors.
I mean, when we drive a CARWI pull on a
seat belt, right, it's not going to prevent us having
an accident or head injury, but it's going to minimize it. Right.
(01:33):
And so we have a list of about fourteen different
factors which which if you, if you address them, will
lower your chance. And you know that's what lasts about.
You want to live life to the full. Butt you
want to do it in the safest possible, but you
still want to live life and you want to take
a few risks now and again, but you need to
do it in a way which is going to give
(01:56):
you the best possibility for having a quality of life.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So the indicators, like the Lancet reported the fourteen risk
factors hearing, lost, cholesterol, depression, traumatic brain andy, BBI, exercise,
all of that, excessive alcohol, social isolation, air pollution, all
of that. We know all that. So we're no closer
to finding the trigger too.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
No, no, no, that doesn't help us. It's such a
complicated disease. And why they're so complicated because when you
get dementia l some disease, you you know, you actually
lose your mind and your mind is such a complicated
part of your brain, you know, it's a and when
we sold well somes, we're going to solve what our
(02:41):
mind is. So we've got hints of ideas and this
thing's come and go and we're still going after you know,
we have we have a human brain Bank for by
Neurological Foundation where we do research on people who die
with these diseases, where we've got a clinic where we
run by Professor Pivot who who look at people with
(03:01):
early dementia and our Somemer's try to work out how
we can slow the disease down by giving them all
sorts of packages of treatment and so on. So we're
we're actually attacking this in all sorts of ways. But
people can do a lot of themselves, and I.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Think that's really important. You're not going to be helpless
in the face of advancing disease associated with aging.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Absolutely. And you know, basically, what's good for the heart
is good for the brain because many of the things
which because you see every time your heart beats, twenty
to twenty five percent of the output goes directly to
the brain. The brain's only be aout you know, two
percent of the body weight. So the brain is the
(03:48):
and the heart are married together. They are the they
are the critical too, organs that give you life.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
It's interesting things like.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Looking after you know, look after you if you you know,
if you've got to get your blood pressure checked and
then you can get treatment for it. Stop smoking if
you're smoking, If you have diabetes, then get it treated.
We've got good treatment for that. Doing some exercise is
really critical. You don't run a marathon every day, but
(04:18):
just to do some and do it regularly. And a
high cholesterol you can get it treated with drug that
will lower lowly clesterol, so an obesity. So all of
those factors I've just mentioned are common to heart disease
and also brain health. So you see, you help one,
(04:40):
you help the other, and that is absolutely critical. A
good diet.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, and I can see how that could be associated
with poverty and deprivation if you.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Know, yeah, yeah, exactly, so if you're living in a
deprived area, not just Maori and Pacific, but anyone living
in a deprived area. Absolutely, and it's just so happens
that there's a tragedy that a great proportional Marian Pacific
living deprived is as well as as well as other rates,
you know, Europeans and so on. It's it's all the
(05:11):
factors that go with that. Because you're living in the
private area, you haven't got so much community support, you
haven't had access to medical services and so on.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It's interesting you said that you lose your mind, you
you know, but not your brain.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah with the well, well yeah, I mean you're losing
part you're you're losing vital functions of your brain.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
It's just because you're right, of course, because the brain
keeps going functioning in other ways. But your mind is gone.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
And you're losing you know, you're beginning to lose your
knowledge of who you are, you begin to lose some
of the memories, you're forgetting what to do, and so on,
and it's a slow decline. Now, there are things to
do when if you're looking after a person, you know,
just when you're looking after a person who is affected
(06:04):
by dementia, putting them into a supportive environment, playing their music,
giving them things to do, keeping things you know that
don't socially isolate them, and play the music which they
love when they were young. There's lots of ways you
can stimulate what mind there is and so and and
(06:27):
slow decline or even promote recovery. So never never ever
give up. That's my that's my model of life. And
we're doing so much research and Center for Brain Research
here where ore Dementia Prevention Research clinic and the lab
and so on, and we're looking up with other people
see out the whole of the use. And we've got
(06:47):
clinics both in Auckland and in christ Church and in
Duneden looking to see how we can We've got over
you know, four hundred people enrolled who are in very
early MENTA. We're seeing how can we slow it down?
Because if we can slow it down by five years,
you have dropped the pavments by fifty descent.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So how how much closer are you than you were,
say a decade ago.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Oh, we've got we've got a huge awareness now we're
doing we're collecting the figures to see. Now the figures
which you hear about in New Zealand about you know,
the prevalence of dementia are all based on Australian figures
and overseas figures. So there's a big study undergoing Professor
Nri Curse has got a team of over fifty people
(07:34):
who are going out right now as we speak, knocking
on doors in the community in Auckland and in christ
Shirts have statistically picked out regions where they're going to
just find out what really is our prevalence and looking
at it from from you know, all all the different
ethnic groups you know, Indian, Mali, Pacific and so on.
(07:55):
So we've got New Zealand a Tierraa figures and not
overseas figures because we and so we need to know
what the what the facts are and we and you
don't realize there's actually huge teams of people working behind
the scenes and unfortunately we don't make the Heald front page.
Very make the front page when there is when it's
(08:16):
bad news. You know, we're working out there, getting funding
from all sorts of directions and are looking to make
sure that the future of people out here are New
Zealand is going to be brighter because there's no sense
in living longer unless you know who you are. And
also the care has got to graphs of the care
(08:38):
is because there's two people affected with the leaders the
person person with the challenge and it's the person who looks.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
At their partner absolutely and.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
You know the mention of New Zealand and Alzheimer's New Zealand.
They can be working. They do a wonderful job. So
you know, we're very lucky that there is this awareness
that there's people who are just going and working to
try and find out one the real what is it
something unique about tr own, New Zealand, which gives which
(09:11):
which makes the incidence more in one groupment and another?
What is that? Can we address that before we know
it's not going to be one cause it's not gonna
be one treatment, but there's multiple treatment. So they always
things you see.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Absolutely and that's why we want to be able to
talk about it today. And it's very timely that you
talk about the care as too, because that was another
news story today. Always so good to talk distinguished Professor
Sir Richard Foole, who is doing so much good work
trying to get to the bottom of how these diseases occur,
why these diseases occur, and, as he says, finding ways
(09:45):
of living longer and better in a better way, pointless
living longer if you've lost your mind.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
For more from carry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Carywood of Morning's podcast from News
Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Now, people living in New Zealand's most deprived areas are
at sixty percent more risk of developing dementia than those
living in the least deprived areas, and Mari and Pacifica
are taking the brunt of the risk. New dementia research
from the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of
Auckland shows social disadvantage as a fact of fueling the
(00:33):
country's soaring rates of dementia. So does that mean we
now know what causes dementia? And if so, does that
mean we are closer to finding a cure? To shed
some light on this, I'm joined by Distinguished Professor and
Director of the Center for Brain Research, Professor Sir Richard
fall A. Very good morning to you, Kerrie.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Lovely to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Again, Ah, always good to talk to you. Now, these
latest findings from the Department of Psychological Medicine. Was this
news or is this well known? That there's are contributing
factors towards dominions.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
You know that this is well known, but we've been
getting more, you know, clear about them. It's absolutely and
I always like and you know these these risk factors.
I mean, when we drive a CARWI pull on a
seat belt, right, it's not going to prevent us having
an accident or head injury, but it's going to minimize it. Right.
(01:33):
And so we have a list of about fourteen different
factors which which if you, if you address them, will
lower your chance. And you know that's what lasts about.
You want to live life to the full. Butt you
want to do it in the safest possible, but you
still want to live life and you want to take
a few risks now and again, but you need to
do it in a way which is going to give
(01:56):
you the best possibility for having a quality of life.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So the indicators, like the Lancet reported the fourteen risk
factors hearing, lost, cholesterol, depression, traumatic brain andy, BBI, exercise,
all of that, excessive alcohol, social isolation, air pollution, all
of that. We know all that. So we're no closer
to finding the trigger too.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
No, no, no, that doesn't help us. It's such a
complicated disease. And why they're so complicated because when you
get dementia l some disease, you you know, you actually
lose your mind and your mind is such a complicated
part of your brain, you know, it's a and when
we sold well somes, we're going to solve what our
(02:41):
mind is. So we've got hints of ideas and this
thing's come and go and we're still going after you know,
we have we have a human brain Bank for by
Neurological Foundation where we do research on people who die
with these diseases, where we've got a clinic where we
run by Professor Pivot who who look at people with
(03:01):
early dementia and our Somemer's try to work out how
we can slow the disease down by giving them all
sorts of packages of treatment and so on. So we're
we're actually attacking this in all sorts of ways. But
people can do a lot of themselves, and I.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Think that's really important. You're not going to be helpless
in the face of advancing disease associated with aging.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Absolutely. And you know, basically, what's good for the heart
is good for the brain because many of the things
which because you see every time your heart beats, twenty
to twenty five percent of the output goes directly to
the brain. The brain's only be aout you know, two
percent of the body weight. So the brain is the
(03:48):
and the heart are married together. They are the they
are the critical too, organs that give you life.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
It's interesting things like.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Looking after you know, look after you if you you know,
if you've got to get your blood pressure checked and
then you can get treatment for it. Stop smoking if
you're smoking, If you have diabetes, then get it treated.
We've got good treatment for that. Doing some exercise is
really critical. You don't run a marathon every day, but
(04:18):
just to do some and do it regularly. And a
high cholesterol you can get it treated with drug that
will lower lowly clesterol, so an obesity. So all of
those factors I've just mentioned are common to heart disease
and also brain health. So you see, you help one,
(04:40):
you help the other, and that is absolutely critical. A
good diet.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, and I can see how that could be associated
with poverty and deprivation if you.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Know, yeah, yeah, exactly, so if you're living in a
deprived area, not just Maori and Pacific, but anyone living
in a deprived area. Absolutely, and it's just so happens
that there's a tragedy that a great proportional Marian Pacific
living deprived is as well as as well as other rates,
you know, Europeans and so on. It's it's all the
(05:11):
factors that go with that. Because you're living in the
private area, you haven't got so much community support, you
haven't had access to medical services and so on.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It's interesting you said that you lose your mind, you
you know, but not your brain.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah with the well, well yeah, I mean you're losing
part you're you're losing vital functions of your brain.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
It's just because you're right, of course, because the brain
keeps going functioning in other ways. But your mind is gone.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
And you're losing you know, you're beginning to lose your
knowledge of who you are, you begin to lose some
of the memories, you're forgetting what to do, and so on,
and it's a slow decline. Now, there are things to
do when if you're looking after a person, you know,
just when you're looking after a person who is affected
(06:04):
by dementia, putting them into a supportive environment, playing their music,
giving them things to do, keeping things you know that
don't socially isolate them, and play the music which they
love when they were young. There's lots of ways you
can stimulate what mind there is and so and and
(06:27):
slow decline or even promote recovery. So never never ever
give up. That's my that's my model of life. And
we're doing so much research and Center for Brain Research
here where ore Dementia Prevention Research clinic and the lab
and so on, and we're looking up with other people
see out the whole of the use. And we've got
(06:47):
clinics both in Auckland and in christ Church and in
Duneden looking to see how we can We've got over
you know, four hundred people enrolled who are in very
early MENTA. We're seeing how can we slow it down?
Because if we can slow it down by five years,
you have dropped the pavments by fifty descent.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So how how much closer are you than you were,
say a decade ago.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Oh, we've got we've got a huge awareness now we're
doing we're collecting the figures to see. Now the figures
which you hear about in New Zealand about you know,
the prevalence of dementia are all based on Australian figures
and overseas figures. So there's a big study undergoing Professor
Nri Curse has got a team of over fifty people
(07:34):
who are going out right now as we speak, knocking
on doors in the community in Auckland and in christ
Shirts have statistically picked out regions where they're going to
just find out what really is our prevalence and looking
at it from from you know, all all the different
ethnic groups you know, Indian, Mali, Pacific and so on.
(07:55):
So we've got New Zealand a Tierraa figures and not
overseas figures because we and so we need to know
what the what the facts are and we and you
don't realize there's actually huge teams of people working behind
the scenes and unfortunately we don't make the Heald front page.
Very make the front page when there is when it's
(08:16):
bad news. You know, we're working out there, getting funding
from all sorts of directions and are looking to make
sure that the future of people out here are New
Zealand is going to be brighter because there's no sense
in living longer unless you know who you are. And
also the care has got to graphs of the care
(08:38):
is because there's two people affected with the leaders the
person person with the challenge and it's the person who looks.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
At their partner absolutely and.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
You know the mention of New Zealand and Alzheimer's New Zealand.
They can be working. They do a wonderful job. So
you know, we're very lucky that there is this awareness
that there's people who are just going and working to
try and find out one the real what is it
something unique about tr own, New Zealand, which gives which
(09:11):
which makes the incidence more in one groupment and another?
What is that? Can we address that before we know
it's not going to be one cause it's not gonna
be one treatment, but there's multiple treatment. So they always
things you see.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Absolutely and that's why we want to be able to
talk about it today. And it's very timely that you
talk about the care as too, because that was another
news story today. Always so good to talk distinguished Professor
Sir Richard Foole, who is doing so much good work
trying to get to the bottom of how these diseases occur,
why these diseases occur, and, as he says, finding ways
(09:45):
of living longer and better in a better way, pointless
living longer if you've lost your mind.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
For more from carry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.