2025 Survey Results

In September last year, Home4All invited individuals living on the Kāpiti Coast who care for people with dementia to take part in our survey. Invitations were widely shared; there were posters in shops, adverts in the local Kāpiti News, and on our Facebook page. Home4All received 39 valid responses, which we analysed to create a "slidedoc" report. This was distributed both locally and nationally, to various relevant organisations, councils, individuals, government, etc. This week, we want to now make it available to the wider public here on our website.

Please have a read, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

See below the key findings. You can also download the PDF of the full slidedoc report.

Demographics: Most survey respondents (Carers) are female (64.1%) and aged 65–74 (30.8%). Over 56% are the spouse or partner of the person that they care for.

Care Intensity: While employed Carers typically provide 1–9 hours of weekly support, many retired Carers dedicate 90 or more hours per week to care for the person with MCI/dementia.

Types of Support: The most common forms of support provided are practical help (administrative tasks and arrangements), emotional support, and assistance with leisure activities.

Significant Gaps in Care Needs Assessments: Nearly half (48.7%) of Care Receivers had not received a formal care needs assessment.  A small number (n=4) of the Carers were unaware of what a care needs assessment was.

Respite Services: Only about 36% of Carers utilised adult day support centres to access respite care.

Emergency Planning: 65.8% of Carers do not have a backup plan in case of emergencies.

Funding Barriers: Among those Carers who did not take a break from their caring role in the past year (53.9%), a major barrier was a lack of awareness regarding available funding (20.5%).

Loneliness: Approximately 30.8% of Carers report feeling lonely as a direct result of their role. Reasons include feeling unable to leave the house and discomfort discussing their responsibilities with others.

Support Networks: Carers primarily rely on family and friends for help (79.4%), finding this the most helpful form of support.

Positive Aspects: Despite the challenges, 53.9% of respondents felt their relationship with their Care Receiver deepened, and 61.5% gained a better understanding of MCI/dementia. However, 20.5% reported having no positive experiences in their caring role.