Understanding dementia LESLIE'S JOURNEY OF HOPE

The grateful daughter found a way to find out more about her dads life while he slowly slipped away

- Fleur Guthrie

On the heels of her father's devastating dementia diagnosis, Leslie Harris, along with her mother Margaret, found themselves often wondering where to unearth the right resources and support during tough times.

Information was available - it just took so much time to find and the family found their questions weren't easily answered.

"Almost 70,000 New Zealanders are living with dementia, but when I started talking to other people in the same situation as us, I realised my frustration with searching for information and struggling to find out what help was available was almost universal," says Leslie, 53.

"I remember sitting with Mum and saying, 'When this journey with Dad is over, I'm going to do something that makes a positive change for people living with dementia and their carers." 

Seven years on, her experience has motivated Leslie to create the website Harris List. It’s named in honour of her beloved late father Garth Harris and aims to be a “one-stop shop” for families of people living with dementia to fi nd the resources needed to navigate their way.

Key topics include diagnosis, types of dementia, how to get assessments, money matters, funding, medication and respite care.

“Dementia doesn’t need to be scary,” tells Leslie, from her mother’s Auckland retirement village.

“In fact, we learnt a lot more about Dad after his diagnosis. Before that, he was a very closed book.”