Australian gov't urged to work out national action plan on dementia

Some seven in 10 Australians have been impacted by dementia in some way and nine in 10 Australians would like their government to come up with a national action plan to better tackle the disease, said a new research released on Wednesday.

A recent public survey Alzheimer's Australia has undertaken with Roy Morgan Research finds out seven out of 10 Australians have been impacted by dementia in some way, including 35 percent have a close family member who has or had dementia, 25 percent have an extended family member who has or had dementia, 10 percent have a close friend who has or had dementia, and 12 percent who have helped care or support someone who has or had the disease.

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. The total population of Australia is about 24 million.

"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 government to address this condition that is set to outstrip all other health spending by 2060," Alzheimer's Australia CEO Carol Bennett said.

"We need a coordinated 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," she said.

She said the finding of the research showed that people across Australia want to see real political leadership on this issue.

One in four 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. Four in five felt the government should be providing information, such as rating, about the quality of life of residents in aged care facilities. Endit