James Kingi is on a mission to raise awareness about caring for someone who has dementia.
It's a condition faced by more than 70,000 people here in Aotearoa, one being James' koro Jim, who was diagnosed with dementia five years ago.
"I'd like to think that somewhere deep inside him, he still recognises who I am and maybe does recognise by face. But as the community on TikTok has pointed out, they noticed. They feel that he recognises my wairua."
James is Jim's main caregiver. A few months ago, he started posting TikTok videos to share their unique bond and to show the ups and downs of living with dementia to a following of over 75,000 people.
"Some people have approached me and been like, 'Oh, you know, thank you for what you're doing', 'I'm actually doing this at the moment', 'I've never talked about it to anyone but watching your videos and feel more comfortable to open up and talk to people'."
James and his koro's daily antics have, in a way, helped remove the stigma of dementia.
"Walking around with an adult that should be looking after you doing things that a child or a baby does and I think, you know, people feel a bit ashamed to deal with it in public."
It's not only James who looks after his koro. Jim is cared for by his whānau at home in Te Puru, Coromandel.
For Erita Kingi, Jim's wife, the support of her whānau has been invaluable.
"Everyone has a duty of care time. We share the cooking and then we all do the work. The worst thing in the house is the washing. But we make it work."
Jimmy's daughter, Misa Kingi, who also helps out at home, said providing around-the-clock care isn't easy.
"Not everybody can do it at home. So don't put that expectation on yourself. We're just fortunate because we've just made that decision and they made the call to come and look after him and it takes a lot of work."
Regardless of the mahi, James said it's worth it and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I appreciate him still being here. I love the fact that I can still touch him, I can still kiss him, I can still hug him. That's me every morning, every night when I wake up, I'll go give him some cuddles and just embrace that he's here. Hello Jim Kingi, hey Jim Kingi. Every morning, every night. And I never fail."
Made with support from Te Māngai Pāho and the Public Interest Journalism Fund.
