LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
September 2023
YODAT congratulates our Chairperson Dr Brigid Ryan on being awarded the title of 2023 Alzheimers NZ Fellow.
She has been recognised for the groundbreaking work she has done in understanding the challenges faced by people diagnosed with dementia before the age of 65. This fellowship provides her with funds to support her research, with the aim of improving research knowledge through prompting a research capable health workforce.
We’re extremely proud of Brigid receiving this wonderful award and for her being such an amazing advocate and her continued work in dementia. Congratulations!
Listen to the Alzheimers NZ Podcast featuring Brigid in this below link.
Podcast: Windows on Dementia - Young Onset Dementia
It mentions YODAT and learn more about Young Onset Dementia in Aotearoa.
June 2023
26 June 2023 - JOANNE LOVERIDGE BN, PG Cert Palliative Care
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we share news of the passing earlier this month of YODAT founder and board member, Joanne Loveridge.
Having worked in a variety of health care settings over 52 years of nursing Joanne was integral to the establishment of YODAT and the Day Service. She selflessly gave her time, expertise and knowledge to YODAT from coordinating and organizing the volunteers, preparing and cooking the meals (including many YODAT Christmas parties), establishing and facilitating the YODAT Family Support Group Service, advising on policies and strategy and much much more.
It was Joanne’s mission and passion to do whatever she could to ensure that younger people with dementia live a purposeful life. Her insight, expertise and the hours of time she put into all aspects of YODAT has been invaluable.
Joanne’s kindness, compassion, friendship and generosity to everyone she came in contact with, from those attending our Day Service, their families, fellow board members, volunteers and health professionals will never be forgotten.
Her beautiful smile, her patience, her warmth to all has always been appreciated and will be truly missed. Joanne had a lot of love to give. She leaves an amazing legacy behind and a huge hole in our hearts and in our whanau. We thank her deeply for everything that she has given and done for YODAT.
We send all our love, support and thoughts to Joanne’s partner Warren (who has volunteered and supported Joanne in many YODAT ventures) and to her dearest family.
January 2023
Happy 2023 we hope that everyone has had a restful and joyous festive period! YODAT Day Service in Wellington has recommenced as of 26 January. The Service is every Monday and Thursday and we welcome all of our participants and volunteers back.
December 2022
We wish everyone a joyous and happy festive season. YODAT Day Service will be on holiday break and recommence on 26 January 2023. We look forward to seeing our participants and volunteers back then.
YODAT would like to thank Pak n Save Porirua for generously sponsoring the YODAT Christmas party with a $100 gift voucher for a second year in a row! YODAT and our whanau greatly appreciate the support and generosity of Pak n Save Porirua.
June 2022
WELLINGTON AIRPORT REGIONAL COMMUNITY AWARDS.
Wellington International Airport and the five local councils come together to recognise the work carried out by community groups in the wider Wellington region. The focus of the awards is to celebrate volunteers for their valuable contribution to society.
Exciting news ……
YODAT has been selected as a finalist in the above awards that recognise the contribution of volunteers in the community.
There are over 50 finalists in Wellington City. Winners to be announced next month. We will keep you posted on how we go!
May 2022
YODAT Day Service is looking for a Lead Coordinator!
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Diversional Therapist or a person from an occupational therapy background to join our Central Wellington Day Service for younger people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). YODAT is one of a few day services in NZ for younger people (typically aged 45 to 64) living with dementia or MCI.
Our service runs for 4 hours on Monday and Thursday, 10 until 2. We are currently seeking a person to lead the programme. You will contract to work as the Lead Coordinator of the Day Service with the support of the Assistant Coordinator and a team of volunteers. You will provide an activities programme based on Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) principles.
Or if you do not have the skill/experience to work as the Lead Coordinator we would welcome applicants to work as the Assistant Coordinator while gaining the experience to become the Lead Coordinator.
Phone the Team Leader, Yvonne Browning on 020 4157 9005 for more information.
16 May 2022 - YODAT’s Yvonne and Fred Browning shared their story with Alzheimers.org.nz Read it here: https://alzheimers.org.nz/stories/fred-and-yvonnes-story/
09 May 2022 - The YODAT Day Service celebrated YODAT’s birthday with participants, past co-ordinators and YODAT board members. Thank you to Yvonne, Philippa and the team for organising such a special celebration.
April 2022
An online supporter group has been established for whanau and supporters of people who have young onset dementia. The meetings are monthly and for whanua supporters anywhere in NZ. It provides a chance to discuss experiences and exchange practical information.
The meetings are facilitated by Emma Fromings, a registered Mental Health Nurse with a dementia speciality.
Technical support is provided for first-time users of video conferencing software.
Contact: yodatonlinegroups@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.
January 2022
We hope everyone had a wonderful festive season. The YODAT Day Service recommenced on 31st January 2022 and it was good to gather again! The Service runs on Mondays and Thursdays in Wellington.
December 2021
December 20th is the date of the last YODAT Day Service for 2021. The Service will recommence on 31st January 2022. We wish all our participants, their whanau, our volunteers and co-ordinators happy and safe holidays.
October 2021
Level 2 Wellington - YODAT Day Service has returned to service on Mondays and Thursdays at 51 Hobson Crescent. The Service is following Ministry of Health guidelines. We welcome our participants back.
August 2021
18 August 2021 - YODAT Day Service is unfortunately on hold due to COVID lockdown - the service will resume in Level 1.
To all our participants, volunteers, co-ordinators and their whanau - take care and keep well.
May 2021
31 May 2021 - YODAT held its regular support group meeting this evening for family and people living with our participants. Tips, useful information and reference materials are shared at these meetings and provides the opportunity for people attending to ask questions and discuss anything that is on their mind in a supportive, caring and confidential environment. The next meeting will be held in July.
28 May 2021 - YODAT would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the organisations and funding groups for their generous support of YODAT and the Day Service. These make a positive impact in the running of the Day Service and allow us to continue to offer a high quality programme to our participants and their whanau. Over the last eighteen months we have been grateful for the support received from a number of donors. These include:
Lion Foundation to assist with the costs of renting a venue for our Day Service.
Community Organisation Grant Scheme to assist with operational costs of our Day Service
Lottery Community to assist with transport costs, admission fees, and the cost of refreshments at venues of interest in the Wellington area that YODAT participants will visit as part of the Day Service
One Foundation to assist with the costs of renting a venue for our Day Service.
Nikau Foundation to assist with catering costs incurred by our day Service in providing lunches for participants.
Sincere thanks to the above and to all those who have donated and supported YODAT. Every little bit counts!
6 May 2021 - YODAT Day Service celebrated a wonderful milestone; it was the the third anniversary of the Day Service. A number of fun activities took place and a lovely lunch was served along with birthday cake. The Day Service is proud to reach this milestone; over the last few years it has steadily grown - from its beginnings based at the Innermost Gardens, Mt Victoria to our current larger venue at 31 Hobson Crescent, Thorndon. We have welcomed many new participants to the YODAT family and continue to do so, we’re thrilled to provide this much-needed service to our participants and their whanau. We thank all the volunteers, co-ordinators, specialist therapists, the YODAT board and patron, sponsors, donors and supporters for bringing us to where we are today. We look forward to many more years ahead!
January 2021
14 January - YODAT Day Service has recommenced today, Thursday 14 January 2021. Day service is being held on Mondays and Thursdays between 10am-2pm weekly.
We are pleased to welcome back our participants, volunteers and coordinators, and wish everyone a happy, safe and healthy new year ahead!
December 2020
21 December - YODAT would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation and Day Service. Thank you to our supporters and sponsors and to our team of incredible volunteers and co-ordinators for their hard work and dedication to make the YODAT Day Service the success it is. We especially give thanks to our participants and their whanau for their attendance and contribution to being a part of the YODAT family.
We have appreciated the patience and understanding of everyone as we have all navigated our way through a challenging year. We hope that the festive season will bring much cheer to all and we look forward to restarting the Day Service in 2021. The first day back will be Thursday 14 January 2021.
17 December - The Day Service celebrated Christmas and the last service of 2020. A wonderful and delicious Christmas lunch was prepared by our team of volunteers, and participants had fun with festive activities including gift swapping and games. We wish everyone happy holidays!
10 December - Thursday 17 December will be the last Day Service of 2020 we will be celebrating with whanau Christmas festivities and lunch. The Day Service will recommence Thursday 14 January 2021.
November 2020
26 November - Our Day Service had an excursion to Plimmerton today. Those participants, volunteers and coordinators based in Wellington took the train to meet with others of our group to explore Plimmerton, enjoy local fish ‘n chips and participate in activities in the community hall. Despite the overcast weather everyone enjoyed the change of scenery and activities.
September 2020
24 September - With the announcement of Wellington moving to Level 1, we’re pleased that the YODAT Day Service has now recommenced. We welcome back all our previous and new participants!
14 September - YODAT would like to thank our outgoing Board Member and Treasurer Toby Miles for all his hard work, time and contribution to YODAT the past two years. We have been grateful for Toby’s expertise in this important and crucial role and wish him all the very best. Nathan Lam has kindly come aboard to fill the position of Treasurer and we are delighted to have him join us.
August 2020
12 August - As Wellington enters Level 2 due to COVID-19 the YODAT Day Service is on hold until we are informed that we are back to Level 1. The health and well-being of all our participants, volunteers and co-ordinators is paramount and we plan to be operational again under Level 1. In the meantime, take care and keep well.
6 August - YODAT Day Service is pleased to be awarded a partial grant from the Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS). With the pressure on available COGS funds YODAT is particularly grateful for the support provided.
July 2020
YODAT would like to thank New World Island Bay for providing a discount on the weekly food purchased for the YODAT Day Service. Our participants enjoy morning tea and lunch at the Day Service and New World Island Bay's kind support is greatly appreciated!
At Whanau Day this month we had the opportunity to thank Yvonne Browning for all the incredible work she did as our Day Service Co-ordinator. Without her immense contribution and expertise the Service would not be the success it is today. Thank you for everything Yvonne!
YODAT Day Service is sad to farewell Kylie Chapman who has been leading our participants in safe and fun exercise activities. We wish her all the best as she relocates to Tauranga with her family, and as she continues to run her Exercise Well programme.
June 2020
At the end of June YODAT Day Service took an excursion to explore the natural beauty of Zealandia in Karori, Wellington. It was a fun and much enjoyed outing for all - participants, volunteers and whanau alike.
YODAT Day Service has restarted at a different venue to accommodate our growing number of participants. We are now operating out of the lovely 31 Hobson Crescent premises in Thorndon, Wellington.
We’re pleased to welcome a team of new co-ordinators who bring with them a range of expertise and experience. They are taking over from Yvonne Browning who has been the amazing YODAT Day Service Co-ordinator for the past 2 years. We thank her for everything she has done in setting up and running the service, she has been truly invaluable. Thankfully, Yvonne still remains involved with YODAT as a Board Member.
Our group of wonderful Day Service volunteers has expanded and all volunteers have participated in our training and orientation day.
Thank you to Bunnings, Wellington for their generous donation of tables that we are using in our new venue.
A year ago YODAT was profiled in the Dominion Post, we thought we would take the opportunity of finally sharing the link to the article:
May 2020
As we continue to stay safe and stay home during Level 3 YODAT Day Service is pleased to celebrate our second year anniversary on 7th May. We’ve had a wonderful two years filled with fun activities, friendship, interesting outings and lots of laughter. We look forward to many more years of these when we are able to resume the service. Happy second birthday YODAT Day Service!