Encouraging new era in dementia research
The commitment of an additional $200 million over five years for dementia research by the federal government promises a new era in dementia research in Australia, Ita Buttrose claimed recently.
The commitment of an additional $200 million over five years for dementia research by the federal government promises a new era in dementia research in Australia, Ita Buttrose claimed recently.
Speaking at the recent National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) dinner, Ms Buttrose, Australian of the Year and National President of Alzheimer’s Australia said: “The decision to commit additional funding is an encouraging step forward in Australia’s effort to ultimately beat dementia.
“I think we would all like to leave a legacy that builds on the great achievements of medical and scientific research in Australia,” Ms Buttrose continued.
“We believe the establishment of a new National Dementia Institute would create opportunities for an innovative approach to tackling dementia while bridging disciplines and bringing together leading thinkers from fields such as immunology, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“All too often research, including that done in the field of dementia, is constrained when the objective should be to ensure different disciplines can contribute to what is one of the major medical challenges of this century,” Ms Buttrose said.
A new National Dementia Institute would provide the opportunity to lift the profile of dementia research and encourage the entrance of new researchers to a field that has been sadly neglected.
It would position Australian researchers to collaborate and partner more effectively with overseas researchers whose governments have similarly invested in dementia research.
“In parallel with a greater investment in dementia research is the need to get the evidence of research into practice to provide better health and care outcomes for Australians living with dementia,” Ms Buttrose said.
