But The Keys are in the Margarine — an award-winning play to be performed at Te Whare o Rukutia Dunedin on August 28 — aims to change that.
Co-writer of the play, actor and WOW! Productions Trust producer Cindy Diver said the play was a unique form of verbatim or documentary theatre, in which four actors act the testimony from interviews of people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, their caregivers, their doctors and their family members.
It follows the experience of those living with the conditions from diagnosis to end-of-life care.
"With the original voices playing in their ears, the actors relay the original words spoken — every vocal inflection, intonation and hesitation — as well as replicating the physical gestures and facial expressions that originally accompanied the words.
"Numerous themes came to light from the interviews. After many hours of collaborative editing, we had a script that was in turn thought provoking, funny and deeply poignant."
Memory loss affects two out of every three New Zealanders in some way.
Today, more than 70,000 New Zealanders live with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and the number is expected to triple by 2050.
"They are conditions none of us can ignore, but few of us can understand, making this a significant piece of theatre. "These are conversations we need to hear," she said.
Following the performance, a forum will be chaired by Ms Diver where the audience can ask questions and have discussions with Alzheimer’s and dementia experts Associate Prof Joanna Williams (Aotearoa Brain Project and University of Otago researcher), Dr Sarah Buchanan (Te Whatu Ora Southern consultant neurologist and Dunedin Dementia Prevention Research Clinic researcher) and Alzheimers Otago manager Antoinette McLean.
