Mate wareware: Understanding ‘dementia’ from a Māori perspective

Dr Makarena Dudley is a senior lecturer at Auckland University, and recipient of this year’s Alzheimers NZ Research Fellowship. One of only four Māori neuropsychologists in the country, Dr Dudley is investigating the interface of dementia and Māori. Her studies include developing a screening tool for detecting dementia in Māori and a theory of dementia from a Māori worldview. The work is based on interviews and relationships with kuia and kaumatua.