Dementia touches millions of lives across the country, and if you are not personally impacted, it’s likely you know someone who is.
Sadly, Dementia Australia says many impacted experience friends and family drifting away after diagnosis, leading to social isolation and loneliness.
This week is Dementia Action Week, a time when Dementia Australia wants to remind everyone that nobody can do it alone and hopes people will reach out to someone in the community who is impacted.
Dementia in Australia
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, dementia was the leading cause of death in 2023, accounting for 9.5% of all deaths. The number of deaths due to dementia in 2009 was 8,500, and increased to 17,400 deaths in 2023.
At present, Dementia Australia estimates there are 433,000 people in Australia living with dementia, with 66 per cent of them living in the community.
A staggering 1.7million people are thought to be involved in the care of those with dementia.
It is also estimated that, in 2022, two in five primary carers of people with dementia were providing an average of 60 or more hours of care each week.
Due to the continued growth and ageing of Australia’s population, the estimated number of people with dementia is projected to reach nearly 1.1 million by 2065.
Health of the Ageing Population: A Focus Area for the Foundation
The foundation funds research into health conditions that impact older members of the community, including dementia, and patient care initiatives at the hospitals we support.
Of note, Memory Lane – a corridor lined with historic images of Brisbane – supports patients’ functional, emotional, physiological, and behavioural well-being.
“We want to encourage people to mobilise (in the hospital)– so how do you encourage people to mobilise? You get them a task to do. Go and walk down this memory lane, have a look at old pictures of Prince Charles, old pictures of Brisbane that will stimulate their memory, but also get them walking and stimulate their mobility as well,” said Jeff Rowland, Director of Internal Medicine, at The Prince Charles Hospital.
Charlie’s Village is another project benefiting patients, their families, and staff alike. The ‘village’ was constructed in the outdoor area of the Cognitive Assessment and Management (CAM) Unit, the specialist dementia care unit at The Prince Charles Hospital, and has realistic, built-in facades of a post office, café and bakery, hair salon, general store, a hotel (aptly named The Prince Charles Hotel) and a bus stop.
The Sky Garden was recently opened in Ward 2D of The Prince Charles Hospital, creating a pleasant retreat space for hip surgery patients and the staff who care for them.
Caboolture Village Coming soon
A special village space is being designed to help care for patients with dementia and other cognitive impairments who are admitted to Caboolture Hospital.
As with Charlie’s Village, this initiative is set to elicit feelings of nostalgia and create destinations that patients can visit and engage with.
Caboolture Village will also have a post office. Other facades may include a woodworking shed, a farmhouse kitchen and a payphone.
Dementia Action Week 2025
To make a donation to support research and other vital patient care initiatives, such as this one, please click here.
If you would like to find out more about Dementia Action Week, click here.
