Alzheimer’s Australia wants dementia a national health priority

Alzheimer’s Australia has sought a commitment from the major parties for additional funding to promote dementia as a National Health Priority beyond 2009.

The National Consumer Committee of Alzheimer’s Australia has identified the priorities that would most improve the everyday lives of people living with dementia, which are:

• Improve the diagnosis and care of people with dementia by GPs

• Expand community care services for people with dementia and their carers, particularly through a further increase in care packages for people with dementia

• Improve access to quality dementia care in residential services with special care needs

• Implement a workforce strategy that will supply an adequately trained dementia care work force in primary, acute and community settings

• Improve access to appropriate care for those with special needs, particularly people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and Indigenous people, those with younger onset dementia and those with acute psychiatric or intellectual disabilities as well as dementia

• Provide information on advance care planning for people with dementia and work for consistent legislation across Australia

• Increase dementia research funding into cause, prevention and care to $50 million per annum or 1% of the total cost of dementia care

Because of the ageing population Alzheimer’s Australia estimates that the numbers of people with dementia will increase to 240,000 by 2010 and 730,000 by 2050.