Alzheimers Australia is asking all Australian political parties to commit to addressing the increasing challenge of dementia and to develop effective policies.
The call comes as new research shows that nine out of 10 Australians want the Government to tackle the issue.
At present there is no national, funded strategy to address this public health issue.
Alzheimer’s Australia recently carried out a public survey to find out what the public think about dementia
The survey found:
- seven out of 10 Australians have been impacted by dementia in some way
- 35% have a close family member who has/had dementia
- 25% have an extended family member who has/had dementia
- 10% have a close friend who has/had dementia
- 12% have helped care or support someone who has/had dementia
There is estimated to be more than 353,800 Australians living with dementia, which is expected to soar to almost 900,000 people by 2050.
Alzheimer’s Australia CEO Carol Bennett said: “what these findings tell us is that dementia is a major priority for voters this federal election.
"Dementia is the second leading cause of death in this country, people with dementia and their carers need to see effective dementia policies from all sides of politics to address this condition that is set to outstrip all other health spending by 2060.”
“We need a co-ordinated strategy, a national plan that addresses the issues that arise from early symptoms, diagnosis, care and support, treatments, home care and respite, aged care and end-of-life-care, and to continue to support research in the hope of one day finding a cure. The challenge is big, but as this new survey highlights, people across Australia want to see real political leadership on this issue.”
As a first step Alzheimer’s Australia is asking all political parties to commit to addressing and funding;
$1.3 million to make Australia a more dementia-friendly place for people with dementia
$15 million per annum for dementia-specific respite services
$1 million per annum to improve quality of care in aged care - led by consumers
Only 1 in 4 Australians surveyed felt confident that high quality services would be available in the event they needed to find an aged care facility for themselves or a family member with dementia. While 4 in 5 felt the Government should be providing information (such as ratings) about the quality of life of residents in aged care facilities.