A new “Māori-friendly” screening tool to identify early dementia in Māori is being launched on Tuesday at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
Dr Makarena Dudley (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kahu; left), the deputy director Māori at the university’s Centre for Brain Research, says the Māori assessment of neuropsychological abilities or Mana tool will be integrated into Te Whatu Ora Health NZ for uptake by clinicians diagnosing mate wareware or dementia in Māori.
“It came about because the conventional tools that have been imported from other countries and imposed on Māori were found to actually misdiagnose some kaumātua with mate wareware, we believe due to the cultural bias that’s inherent in those Western-based tools,” Dudley told Te Ao Tapatahi.