Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to draw the House's attention to National Dementia Awareness Week 2011, which is this week. The issues that National Dementia Awareness Week are seeking to promote are vitally important to our communities and also to the direction of health policy in this country. I have worked with the local Alzheimer's Victoria group—their headquarters are actually outside my electorate of Chisholm but, given the ageing demographic of my electorate, many people within my constituency seek the help and support of Alzheimer's Victoria. I really recommend that anybody going through that difficult stage seeks their support. Their website is fantastic. Their groups are an amazing support. I have had the pleasure of meeting and dealing with many of their support groups, their carers' groups, on a number of occasions.

I have been confronted with the reality of dementia and the impacts it has had not only on sufferers but also on their families, carers and loved ones. I was delighted to be asked by Alzheimer's Victoria to be a Victorian ambassador and to raise awareness of their fight against dementia. This is a terrific program, and today the House was honoured to have many members who are New South Wales ambassadors for Alzheimer's Australia speaking today on this vital issue of dementia.

Dementia is a term used to describe the progressive decline of a person's functioning. The term is applied to a person's loss of memory, intellect, rationality, social skills and physical functioning. An estimated 269,000 Australians currently live with dementia. It is the third leading cause of death in Australia after heart disease and stroke. Dementia is already the single greatest cause of disability in older Australians—and many would not consider these people old; they are aged 65 or older.

The unfortunate reality of dementia is that, whilst it is more common after the age of 65, it can happen to anyone at any time. I know of a constituent who had early onset dementia at 45; an individual who was quite brilliant, and his life and his family's life has been cut short by this crippling disease.

Each week, there are 1,500 new cases of dementia in Australia. That is expected to grow to 7,400 newly diagnosed cases each week by 2050. Very sadly, dementia is fatal and as yet there is no cure. It is a difficult condition to diagnose; there is an average of three years between the first consultation and when the diagnosis is made. This can often be quite detrimental, because there are now some drugs that are quite good but only if you get dementia in the early phases. One of the issues is training GPs in dementia awareness, recognition and diagnosis.

Dementia places an enormous burden on the families and carers of the sufferer, who provide a phenomenal amount of support. The cost of replacing all family carers with paid carers is estimated to be around $5.5 billion per annum. In addition, the overall cost of responding effectively to dementia is enormous. Dementia will become the third-greatest source of health and residential aged-care spending within two decades. By 2060, spending on dementia is set to outstrip that of any other health condition.

Providing an effective response to dementia within our community starts with looking at how we can overcome barriers to diagnosis. The first level of our response is awareness and understanding. The second is research and prevention. The third is treatment and care.

One of our greatest challenges is for the community to develop a clearer understanding of what dementia is and what it is not. There is still an enormous level of mythology and stigma around this condition; this is not assisted by the fact that we essentially do not understand the causes of Alzheimer's in particular. Initiatives like Dementia Awareness Week, and the huge range of events taking place, are critical to helping shed the mythology and stigma.

One of the primary ways that we can achieve better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers is through research, both into an understanding of the underlying causes of dementia and into the development of innovative treatments. There is no question that a great deal of research is still needed to achieve both of these aims.

The federal government is committed to improving the health of all Australians, and dementia research remains a key priority, being supported by both the Department of Health and Ageing and the National Health and Medical Research Council. The NHMRC alone has provided $121 million for dementia research over the past 10 years, with the amount of funding increasing annually.

The final report of the Productivity Commission, Caring for older Australians, provides us with a great opportunity to do better for people suffering from dementia. I will certainly be using this phase where the minister is out talking to sufferers, their families and carers to remind him and the House and the Labor Party that we need to be doing more in this space.

Most people suffering from dementia want—and their families want that family member—to stay in their home for as long as possible. This is the cheapest alternative for all of us, but we need to find ways to ensure people can remain in their homes getting the support they need with this crippling illness. (Time expired)