About Us

Our Directors – Andrew Sheard & Jim Haines

For over a decade Dementia Care NZ has provided care for the elderly, specialising in caring for people with dementia, and has pioneered the ‘Small Homes’ and ‘Best Friends Approach to Care’ concepts in New Zealand.

Andrew Sheard and Jim Haines are innovative and passionate about the work they do and visit their facilities regularly to mentor, guide and support their on-site management teams. “Providing the mentoring and the resources for our team to give loving care is the work we have chosen to do. Providing a special place for people to be cared for gives us enormous pleasure. We often spend time at Avonlea. We talk each day about our vision for residents and staff, discussing ideas and striving to find creative ways of providing the very best care.”

Andrew was with our organisation for many years in different roles before being appointed as a Director in 2017. He started out with Dementia Care NZ in 2009 with a position as Operations Manager of Aberleigh Rest Home in Blenheim, which soon extended to
managing Tasman Rest Home in Nelson. Moving to the organisational management team, his involvement extended further as his role of Project Manager evolved, working closely with Jim on building projects in Nelson, Blenheim and Kapiti.

A grass-roots understanding of the aged care industry, coupled with a passion for excellence in care delivery and deep empathy and respect for the elderly underpin Andrew’s role as Director. “People matter to me. I enjoy my regular visits to our rest homes, and the personal connections they bring. As a family man myself, I understand the importance of family in our lives, and value the strong sense of family in our rest homes.”

Jim was involved in a variety of business activities in building development before moving into aged residential care, and has a particular passion for the development of the staff team.

Providing opportunities for personal growth brings both Andrew and Jim much pleasure.

Hospital dementia care

We now take care of a significant number of residents needing specialised hospital dementia care. This number has increased steadily over the last few years and is now a focus for us in six of our nine homes.

Continuing Care (Hospital)

We have identified a need for the inclusion of continuing care (hospital) in our facilities to complete the continuum of care we provide. This is currently provided at seven of our nine facilities.

Staff education and development

Being a growing organisation, we are continually looking for current staff members or people in the community with potential to be a leader. Staff education and development is our passion. We love to provide opportunities for advencement within our organisation to staff who later become inspirational to other team members.

Sharing experience

We have a strong focus on presenting at conferences and developing partnerships with other organisations.

Our goal is to educate the public about dementia and remove the stigma associated with it.