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Headlines 19 Vivian Pharmacy in New Plymouth raised an incredible $1000 to go towards Alzheimer’s research in New Zealand, thanks to the generosity of the Taranaki community. Pharmacy co-owner Catherine Keenan and her team held a dollar at the till campaign during Brain Awareness Month, due to take place in March 2021, but was rescheduled to July due to COVID-19 restrictions. The fundraiser coincided with a very special talk in New Plymouth by Distinguished Professor Sir Richard Faull as part of the Neurological Foundation’s Brain Awareness Month series, which was also postponed to July. The Neurological Foundation’s Donor Relations Specialist for the lower North Island Margie Carter thanked the team at Vivian Pharmacy for their effort and support. Not only was the Vivian Pharmacy team able to raise vital funds for Alzheimer’s research in New Zealand, they were also able to raise awareness and share the work of the Neurological Foundation with the Taranaki community. “The Neurological Foundation is consistently blown away by the generosity of supporters and their dedication to help continue vital neurological research. The kind words, donations and fundraisers all make a huge difference on the journey to improve the outcomes of New Zealanders affected by neurological conditions,” Margie says. Catherine is personally connected to this cause through her father Ian, who had Alzheimer’s. Catherine has kindly shared her story about why she decided to support the Neurological Foundation. What inspired you to support Alzheimer’s research? My father Ian was also a pharmacist who ran a successful community pharmacy for over 25 years. He was a past New Plymouth District Councillor, a Rotarian, loving husband and father of four daughters. He had a very sharp mind and loved running a business. He also loved all things rugby and playing tennis with his mates. Ian had nine grandchildren whom he adored and he loved hearing about their lives and successes. The Alzheimer’s diagnosis was very difficult for him and the frustrations were evident. He particularly hated losing his licence to drive and how Alzheimer’s robbed him of his ability to do everyday things and stay connected with people. He was wonderfully supported by his wife Feye along with the support from Alzheimer’s Taranaki and the people at the TDHB Older Persons team. Knowing we were not alone in all of the challenges and sharing ideas on managing behaviour was so important. The fact that I worked in the health sector did help. Dad was in care at Radius Heatherlea for three years and passed away in January 2019. Tell us about your pharmacy? I have been an owner and pharmacist at Vivian Pharmacy for almost 27 years. We are a busy medical centre pharmacy, open seven days, in New Plymouth. I am so lucky to have an amazing team that goes above and beyond for the people of Taranaki every day. One of our services is compliance packaging to assist people and their caregivers to manage medicines safely. We love chatting to people about how their medicines work and encourage them to speak up when things are not going right. Our website is www.vivianpharmacy.co.nz . How did customers respond to your fundraising initiative? Everyone could relate to the story of a family member, friend or acquaintance with dementia. This disease impacts people many different ways and being able to share some of the Neurological Foundation’s resources was excellent. Knowing that research is happening to help prevent or cure dementia really struck a chord with customers and they were keen to contribute. How did you enjoy Sir Richard Faull’s Brain Matters talk? Professor Sir Richard Faull is an amazing man. Taranaki born and bred, he relates so well to all walks of life and has dedicated his life to brain research. Being reminded that we carry around this amazing organ, the brain, in our heads and that we need to protect it and look after it with a healthy lifestyle was excellent. Also hearing about the gene research and how they are using this research and the latest technology to help people affected with neurological conditions was so inspiring. He has an amazing team and if we can support them with even a small amount of fundraising then I think that is a great thing Vivian Pharmacy can do.