The Federal Government is providing $13 million in funding to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to establish the National Centre for Monitoring Dementia, now the second leading cause of death in Australia, and the leading cause of death among Australian women.
Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt also announced $25.5 million is being made available under the Government’s Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission for a strategic document and implementation plan.
“We know that dementia is now the third leading cause of disease burden in Australia, and that as our population ages, the number of Australians with dementia is projected to more than double by 2058,” Mr Hunt said.
Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, also launched the Dementia in Australia 2021 Report, a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), and said the report validated the prominence of dementia care in the Government’s aged care reform plan.
“Our vision for quality dementia care in aged care encompasses staff capability, regulation and appropriate design of residential facilities. Dementia research has given us guidelines on dementia friendly design, and as part of our five-year plan a new accommodation framework will be implemented from 1 July 2024.”
