Dementia

This section of the website contains information on dementia.

Dementia is the term used to describe the symptoms of a large group of illnesses, which cause a progressive decline in the ability to remember, to think, and to learn.

It is estimated that around 200,000¹ people in Australia currently have dementia. As Australia's population ages, more people are likely to be affected by dementia.

Dementia is not a natural part of ageing. After the age of 65, however, the likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia doubles every five years. People over the age of 85 years of age currently have a one in four chance of developing dementia. With the projected rise of Australia's aged population, it is estimated the number of people living with dementia will increase to almost 465,000 by 2031². Dementia is one of the major reasons why older people enter residential aged care or seek assistance from community care programs.

A range of dementia programs provides support to health professionals, people living with dementia, their carers, and families. Areas of focus include:

• dementia research;
• prevention activities;
• early intervention programs;
• improved care initiatives;
• support for the primary care sector to diagnose and better manage dementia;
• Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia packages; and
• dementia specific training for aged and community care staff and residential care workers, carers and community workers such as police and ambulance officers.

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Dementia programs

The Dementia Research Grants Program aims to establish multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral research that will inform and address factors that impact on the health and well-being of people with dementia. Information on the grants can be found on the National Health and Medical Research Website at www.nhmrc.gov.au

Three Dementia Collaborative Research Centres have been established to facilitate and undertake dementia research, assist in the translation of research into care and clinical practice, develop guidelines, tools and other resources, and disseminate and promote dementia research and research outcomes.

The three Dementia Collaborative Research Centres and their primary research focus are:

• The University of New South Wales – Assessment and Better Care Outcomes;
• The Australian National University – Prevention, Risk Reduction and Early Detection; and
• The Queensland University of Technology – Consumers, Carers, and Social Research.

The Dementia Community Grants Programs aim to raise awareness about dementia in the community, support prevention strategies, risk reduction and early intervention for people with dementia, and to encourage innovation and improve services for people with dementia, and their families and carers.

There are 41 Community Support Grants due for completion in December 2007 and 16 Service Development Grants due for completion by June 2008.

New Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services are being established in each State and Territory to improve the quality of care for people with dementia and their carers where the behaviour of the person with dementia impacts on their care.

These services will assist staff in residential aged care homes and in community care settings to improve dementia care. These services will be run by:

• New South Wales – Department of Health
• Victoria - St Vincent's Health
• South Australia - Alzheimer's Australia South Australia Inc
• Queensland - Alzheimer's Australia Queensland
• Western Australia - Alzheimer's Australia Western Australia
• Tasmania - Department of Health and Human Services
• Northern Territory - Uniting Church in Australia Frontier Services
• Australian Capital Territory - Alzheimer's Australia Australian Capital Territory Inc

Four Dementia Training Study Centres for health professionals promote dementia studies in universities by encouraging dementia studies in Australian graduate and undergraduate health curriculum.

Top of pageThe organisations providing training opportunities and scholarships are:

• University of Wollongong;
• La Trobe University;
• Alzheimer's Australia South Australia; and
• Curtin University of Technology.

Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACHD) packages assist people with dementia who experience difficulties in their daily life because of behavioural and psychological symptoms associated with their dementia. To access an EACHD package a person must first be assessed and approved by an Aged Care Assessment Team.

The National Dementia Support Program provides the following services and programs:

• The National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 and referral services;
• Dementia and Memory Community Centres;
• early intervention programs, such as the Living with Memory Loss Program;
• advice, counselling and support services;
• awareness raising services, including activities such as Dementia Awareness Month
• education and training; and
• support for people with special needs including the Dementia Cross Cultural Network and new activities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Alzheimer's Australia runs the National Dementia Support Program. For more information on Alzheimer's Australia go to www.alzheimers.org.au

Dementia education and training programs

A range of programs is underway aimed at improving the skills of aged care workers and community workers, such as police and ambulance officers.

A National Evaluation of the dementia programs is being undertaken by a consortium comprising La Trobe University (the lead Agency), The University of Melbourne, Applied Aged Care Solutions and Access Economics. This evaluation is due for completion in June 2009. For more information on the evaluation go to www.latrobe.edu.au/aipc/projects/DHPI/index.htm

Footnote

1. Australian Government estimates on statistics from Jorm et al, in press based on the meta-analysis of European epidemiological studies by Wancata et al (2003).

2. Dementia in Australia – National data analysis and development, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, January 2007.

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