Nine To Noon for Thursday 26 January 2023

 

 

09:05 Dementia care buckling under the pressure with cases on the rise 

There are serious concerns for the wellbeing of people with dementia being unable to access adequate care right now -  let alone be safely catered for in the next few years. Dementia NZ says the services and resources are stretched, inadequate and lacking the scope to assist people who have dementia. Also, some rest homes are closing and care staff are in short supply. Canterbury DHB Psychiatrist and academic, Matthew Croucher has co-authored a review of the sector and he says based on demographic trends the issue will only intensify. Currently, 70,000 New Zealanders have dementia. That's set to rise to 170,000 by 2050

09:30 ​Should cars be banned on beaches to protect native species?

Forest and Bird wants Auckland's Muriwai Beach to close to vehicles to protect precious native species and fragile ecosystems. The organisation would also like to see the Land Transport Act's definition of a road be amended, so that beaches are longer designated as roads. Muriwai is one of two Auckland beaches where driving is allowed, but Forest and Bird says vehicles are causing harm to some of the country's most vulnerable and at-risk species and damaging delicate sand dunes. The beach is home to species such as kororā / little blue penguins, fur seals, and the Muriwai gecko, and is a nesting site for shorebirds like Caspian terns, white-fronted terns and variable oyster catchers. Last year, data from January to November shows more than 54,000 vehicles were recorded driving along Muriwai Beach - but Forest and Bird says that only measures vehicles at one of the beach's entry points and the number could be much higher. Kathryn speaks with Forest & Bird's Auckland regional conservation manager Carl Morgan.

09:45 UK correspondent Matt Dathan

UK correspondent Matt Dathan joins Kathryn to talk about the pressure PM Rishi Sunak is under over the tax affairs of Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi.

10:05  Improve your attention span - in a world of endless emails, notifications & distractions

If you feel like your attention span has reduced in recent years, you're not alone. Cognitive psychologist and professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, Dr Gloria Mark has been studying human to computer interaction since the mid-1990s, and the field of distraction since 2004.  She's found that we spend an average of just 47 seconds on any screen before shifting our attention, that it takes 25 minutes to bring our attention back to a task after an interruption and that we interrupt ourselves more than we're interrupted by others. But Dr Mark is optimistic about our chances of taking back control of our devices and our attention. She speaks to Kathryn about how our brains function in the digital world and has tips for how we can find focus and fight distraction, from her new book Attention Span: Finding Focus for a Fulfilling Life. 

10:35 Book review - three of the best from 2022: A Waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm,  The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate and Jumping Sundays by Nick Bollinger

Cynthia Morahan reviews three of her favourite books from last year: A Waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm, published by Simon and Schuster, The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate, published by Penguin Random House and Jumping Sundays - The Rise and Fall of the Counterculture in Aotearoa New Zealand by Nick Bollinger, published by Auckland University Press

10:45 Around the motu: Jimmy Ellingham in Manawatū 

RNZ reporter Jimmy Ellingham joins Kathryn to talk about concerns over a delay to the opening of Palmerston North's Hospital mental health ward. The father of a 19-year-old patient who died in a suspected suicide at Palmerston North Hospital's mental health ward is worried that a replacement facility will not open for more than two years. Karl Pearce's son Braden died on 30 October, 2021. Residents in Fielding are taking to installing their own flood barriers amid concerns of a repeat of devastating flash floods a year ago. And Palmerston North's library has been taking books to immobile readers for 50 years.

 

11:05 Tech: Microsoft outage, ChatGPT worries, big tech layoffs

Technology correspondent Paul Matthews looks at what caused an outage overnight for Microsoft 365 users, ChatGPT, the new AI "language model" is taking the world by storm but it's also causing concern over whether it'll fuel a rise of cheating and fake news - are we right to be worried? More big tech companies lay off staff and Ukraine is winning the cyber-war - Paul tells Kathryn how.

11:25 Becoming the parent you want to be

US psychologist, Dr Becky Kennedy and author of Good Inside trouble shoots a range of scenarios facing parents, including sibling rivalry, separation anxiety and tantrums. She has 1.6 million followers on Instagram @drbeckyatgoodinside

11:45 Screentime: The Whale, The Last of Us, The Territory

Film and TV reviewer James Croot joins Kathryn to talk about The Whale starring Brendan Fraser, which is about to hit cinemas. He'll also talk about the successful jump The Last of Us appears to have made from video game to TV series and new documentary The Territory. James Croot is Stuff's Stuff to Watch editor.

Music played in this show

Song: Love is the Way
Artist: The Sacred Souls
Time played: 9:30

Song: Radio
Artist: Margo Price
Time played: 11:28