About Alzheimer’s Australia WA
Alzheimer’s Australia WA is Australia’s oldest and largest dementia organisation.
The organisation is at the forefront of dementia care services, with world-class research, risk reduction and education and training programs designed to meet the challenge of what has been described by Access Economics as a “national dementia epidemic”. Read more
About Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Dementia is the term used to describe the symptoms of a large group of illnesses which cause a progressive decline in a person’s functioning.
Dementia is now the third leading cause of death in Australia. A person with dementia will live for an average four to eight years, depending on their age at diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, accounts for about 70% of all cases. It is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain.
In its early phases, the symptoms can be subtle such as memory loss and vagueness, taking longer to do routine tasks, or losing the point of a conversation. As the disease progresses, the changes will become more dramatic until, in the last stages, the person cannot care for themselves.
The second most common form is vascular dementia, which may be preventable.
For more facts and figures about dementia, click here
About Alzheimer’s Australia WA
Alzheimer’s Australia WA was founded in 1982 by a group of volunteer carers who saw the need for a dementia-specific support organisation.
Today the organisation employs 210 specialist staff, including Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, trainers and dementia specialist care workers.
It provide services throughout the State for more than 23,000 Western Australians diagnosed with dementia, and their families and carers.
It has two metropolitan and four regional offices and one regional branch.
What we do
A wide range of services is provided for people with dementia and their families and carers including:
- respite, counselling and social support services;
- carer support groups;
- library and resource centre; and
- a free 24-hour helpline.
Services for the health and care sectors include:
- training and education courses and workshops; and
- consultancy services in a range of areas including the built environment, assistive technology and art therapy.
For the general community, we provide a range of programs aimed at reducing the risk of dementia.
The future
Alzheimer’s Australia WA’s vision is to become a capacity builder and a training ground with its service delivery activities continually being evaluated and researched.
This research is used to develop education and training curriculum for health professionals, aged care workers and the community.
As part of a strategic partnership with Curtin University of Technology, the new Alzheimer’s Australia WA Centre of Excellence in Dementia Care will be built on the University’s campus in Bentley. The idea of co-locating on a university campus is understood to be a world-first.
The new Centre, expected to be completed in 2012, will enable the organisation to respond more effectively to the dementia epidemic.
About Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Incidence of Dementia
More than 257,000 Australians have dementia, with the number expected to be 1.13 million by 2050.
In Australia today there are 1,300 new cases of dementia every week.
By 2050, there will be over 385,000 new cases of dementia diagnosed every year - this is more than the total number of cases in Australia in 2010.
Between 2000 and 2050, the number of people with dementia in Australia is expected to increase by 327%, while the total population increases by less than 40%.
Who does it affect?
Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. It can happen to anybody, but it is more common after the age of 65 years.
Dementia can affect younger people; currently more than 15,000 Australians under the age of 65 have younger onset dementia.
In Western Australia, 23,000 people have dementia and this is predicted to rise to 109,000 within 40 years.
Dementia is now the 3rd leading cause of death in Australia.
Dementia is a major determining factor in precipitating entry to residential care. At least 80% of people in high care facilities and 60% of people in low care facilities have dementia.
Dementia is currently the second largest cause of disability burden after depression. By 2016, dementia will be the largest source of disability burden.
There are about 2,100 indigenous people aged 45 and over in the Kimberley region, WA diagnosed with dementia.
Latest research has shown the prevalence of dementia in this group is 12.4%, compared to a rate of 2.6% in the Australian population – nearly five times higher!
Economic impact of dementia
In a 2002 report by Access Economics, dementia costs $6.6 billion - $5.6bn in real economic costs and $1bn in transfer costs or 1% of GDP. By mid-century, dementia costs may exceed 3% of GDP, from nearly 1% today.
Direct health costs in 2002: Dementia is the most expensive mental health item in Australia, costing $3.2 billion in 2002, dominated by residential care costs ($2.9 billion). By the end of the decade, these costs will nearly double.
Real indirect costs in 2002: These are dominated by carer costs ($1.7 billion) valued at replacement cost, together with the lost earnings and mortality burden of patients ($364m) and the cost of aids and home modifications ($120m).
Caring for people with dementia
Dementia affects the lives of one million Australians who are involved in caring for a family member or friend with dementia.
Caring for a person with dementia is demanding and difficult. As the disease increasingly affects brain function there are strenuous demands on carers.
For every person who has dementia in WA today there is at least one full-time carer, doubling the number immediately impacted by the disease to 46,000.
Unique care needs
Caring for a person with dementia is about recognising the person behind the illness and entering into their world.
A fundamental premise is that all people are entitled to the best possible quality of life, with dignity, in comfortable surroundings and with the assurance that he or she has personal worth and is valued by others.
People with dementia may experience agitation, wandering, suspiciousness, use inappropriate language or screaming, sexual disinhibition, apathy, self-injury, combativeness, repetitious demands or resistance to maintaining hygiene.
In each case there is a need to seek the reason underlying the specific behaviour, and then as far as possible to meet the need .
Residential care
Even with the provision of the best home care services, for most people there comes a time when the transition to residential care is deemed appropriate.
Relinquishing full time care of a loved partner of many decades can be traumatic, with mixed feelings of not being able to continue any longer, together with feelings of desolation, guilt or failure.
As well as the emotional distress of placing a loved one in residential care, there are also well documented problems in gaining access to appropriate residential accommodation and financial challenges.
Learn more
For more information about caring for someone with dementia, visit www.alzheimers.asn.au
