Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the motion from the member for Newcastle. As the motion outlines:

(a) dementia is the greatest cause of disability in Australians aged 65 and over;

(b) there are almost 280,000 Australians living with dementia and 1.2 million who provide support and care; and

(c) every week an estimated 1,600 new cases of dementia occur, with the number expected to grow to 7,400 new cases per week by 2050, resulting in 1 million Australians living with dementia by 2050;

Another key point on the disease is that the most common types of dementia are Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, FTLD, Huntington's disease, alcohol related dementia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The CSIRO have stated that historically the success of reducing the impact of this chronic disorder on individuals rests on two fundamental pillars: early diagnosis and intervention. There are great gains being made, but a lot more has to be done, as we are all aware. Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Australia, after heart attack and stroke. Dementia is therefore fatal, and as yet there is no cure as such. One in four people over the age of 85 have dementia. Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. Dementia has an impact on every part of the health and care system that we have today.

I would like to recognise the significance of Dementia Awareness Week, from the 21st to the 28th of this month. I acknowledge the ongoing contributions of Alzheimer's Australia and the state and territory associations in supporting and advocating for all people affected by this disease. I myself had a family member who was affected by dementia: my Aunty Dorothy, who is now no longer with us. She lived in a home for the last two or three years of her life. When I took my mother to visit her sister-in-law in this home, she insisted that we stop overnight because there were plenty of beds. She said: 'Look, there are hundreds of beds here. You're all very welcome to stop.' When her two daughters arrived later that afternoon, she said to her elder daughter, 'Who are you?' Her daughter replied, 'I'm Yvonne, your daughter.' She said: 'I didn't know I had one. Who's the other lady with you?' Her daughter said, 'That's your other daughter, Stephanie.' She said: 'Good Lord! I've got two daughters. How come?' She lived another couple of years after that, but it finally got the better of her and she passed on. That was my Aunty Dorothy, but she was just one of the one in four over the age of 85 who has it. She was about 88 when she died.

Dementia is a disease which affects many people right across the country, including in regional areas such as in my electorate of Flynn. I fully support all efforts being made to undertake research into this disease and the work being done to find improvements in treatment and care for sufferers right across the country. I applaud all those who work in support of those suffering from this disease for their tireless efforts in helping to improve the quality of life for sufferers and their families.

See this speech in context