By the end of the year, two South Canterbury services are set to become one.

The amalgamation of Alzheimers South Canterbury and Dementia Canterbury would take place at the beginning of November.

Alzheimers South Canterbury service manager Rosie Chambers said the services would become Dementia Canterbury.

Mrs Chambers said despite the new name, it would be the same trusted faces and services in South Canterbury.

“Over 80,000 Kiwis are living with a diagnosis of dementia today.

“That’s expected to increase significantly in the coming years.”

Mrs Chambers said “that means three New Zealanders are developing dementia every hour, with a total of 500 new cases per week.”

The local and national demand for services supporting people living with dementia continued to increase across the country, which local dementia advisers were seeing in South Canterbury too.

“We wanted to let our community know that from November 1, 2026, Alzheimer’s South Canterbury will formally amalgamate with Dementia Canterbury, continuing to deliver services to the South Canterbury region as part of the Dementia Canterbury team.

“While our name and logo will change, what matters most will stay the same. You’ll continue to see the same familiar faces, in the same places, delivering the same services and programmes you know and trust.

“We’re confident in time as part of Dementia Canterbury, we’ll be able to offer more services to our clients and their families/whānau living with dementia.

“Your relationships with our dementia advisers Rosie and Leah, and the way we support people, their family and whānau remain at the heart of everything we do.”

By joining Dementia New Zealand there would be a dedicated focus on service delivery, it would give staff access to shared resources, consistent training, and the chance to bring new programmes from other regions to South Canterbury.

“Which will ultimately benefit our community — reflecting our shared belief that this is the right step for our organisation and our community to maintain a sustainable service.”

She said the change would help them to keep delivering the support South Canterbury whānau deserved “now and in the years ahead”.

“Our community has been hugely generous in their support to our organisation over the years, including the clubs and groups who provide support to The Park Centre (currently managed by Alzheimers South Canterbury) and those who’ve generously donated to the Alzheimers South Canterbury Community Fund with the Aoraki Foundation.

“We wanted to provide reassurance that the Park Centre is not being transferred to Dementia Canterbury and ownership of this will remain the responsibility of the South Canterbury community.

“In addition, funds donated to the Alzheimer’s South Canterbury Fund, held with the Aoraki Foundation, will continue to support people living with dementia in South Canterbury long into the future.

“We want to reassure our community, we’re still here — services will remain local which is something that is very important to many living in our community. This is business as usual for our team and this partnership will strengthen the services we can offer to people living with dementia in South Canterbury — now and into the future”. — Allied Media