Discussing Dementia

Imagine a young boy walks into an aged care facility to visit his grandmother, something he has done ritually every Sunday for the past five years. Upon knocking on the door and greeting the woman he affectionately calls ‘Nana’, he receives a blank gaze.

His grandmother doesn’t recognise him. She is among the hundreds of thousands of Australians who suffer from dementia. A simple Google search of dementia presents some alarming statistics.

According to Alzheimer’s Australia, the peak body that advocates for the needs of people living with all types of dementia, there are more than 353,000 Australians living with dementia. This figure is expected to exceed 400,000 in less than five years. The leading source for national health and welfare statistics, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, identifies that “one in ten Australian’s aged over 65 have dementia”.

According to the same body, there are 25,100 young Australians who have Younger Onset dementia (a diagnosis of dementia under the age of 65; including people as young as 30). But dementia is not limited to Australia. According to a report issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, titled Addressing Dementia, the OECD response, issued in 2015, dementia is the second largest cause of disability among those over the age of 70 with an estimated 44 million people living with dementia worldwide. From a fiscal perspective, the global cost of dementia exceeds half a trillion US dollars each year, the rough equivalent of Switzerland’s Gross Domestic Product.

The fast facts

Dementia defined

Alzheimer’s Australia defines dementia as “a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain. Contrary to public perception, it is not one specific disease”. Dementia affects thinking, behaviour, and the ability to perform everyday tasks and the individual’s normal social or working life.

Who gets dementia?

Most people with dementia are older, but it is important to remember that dementia is a standalone condition which is affected by various other factors and can also affect younger people.

Is it dementia?

There are a number of conditions that produce symptoms similar to dementia. These include some vitamin and hormone deficiencies, depression, medication clashes or overmedication, infections and brain tumours. It is essential that a medical diagnosis is obtained at an early stage when symptoms first appear, to ensure that a person who has a treatable condition is diagnosed and treated correctly.

If the symptoms are caused by dementia, an early diagnosis will mean early access to support, information and medication should it be available.

What are the early signs of dementia?

The early signs of dementia are very subtle and vague and may not be obvious. Some common symptoms include:

• Progressive and frequent memory loss
• Confusion
• Personality change
• Apathy and withdrawal
• Loss of ability to perform everyday tasks.

What can be done to help?

At present there is no prevention or cure for most forms of dementia. However, some medications have been found to reduce symptoms. The help of families, friends and carers can make a positive difference to managing the condition.

Respite and carers

The impact of dementia isn’t just felt by the individual. According to the Pfizer Health Report issued by Alzheimer’s Australia, there are an estimated 1.2 million Australians involved in the care of a person with dementia.

On the 15th of May 2016, the Queensland State Government announced a $20 million funding boost over the next three years to provide respite for people with dementia and their carers. The additional funding included $3.2 million for Anglicare Southern Queensland services in Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Roma, Townsville, Taigum and Cleveland.

In making the announcement in conjunction with the Minister for Health Cameron Dick, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk said that respite care is an essential part of caring for people with dementia.

“It offers the carer a well-deserved break from their caring responsibilities while providing valuable and meaningful activities for the person receiving care,” he said.

This theme is reiterated in the Federal Government’s National Framework for Action on Dementia, designed to create strategic collaborative and cost effective response to dementia across Australia. The report identifies respite as being “of equal importance for the person with dementia as well as for their carer, and the outcomes for both should receive equal consideration when respite services are developed and delivered”.

Anglicare and dementia

According to Alzheimer’s Australia, there is predicted to be a shortage of more than 150,000 paid and unpaid carers for people with dementia by 2029. That’s why this additional funding allocated by the Queensland Government is so important, said Sue Cooke, spokesperson with Anglicare Southern Queensland.

“The funding from the Queensland State Government will help provide respite to clients with dementia outside of the scope of normal services,” he said. “It will help fulfil an unmet need that was identified quite some time ago.”

Planning and support to manage the behaviourial and psychological symptoms of dementia can assist in reducing distress and anxiety for the person with dementia and their family. Dementia services provided by Anglicare Southern Queensland include but are not limited to:

• Assistance with daily living such as showering, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, shopping and general house cleaning.
• Nursing services to manage physical changes, behaviour changes and medication.
• Respite care;
• Physiotherapy, podiatry and occupational
• therapy;
• Spiritual and pastoral care;
• Liaison with specialist dementia services and doctors to provide advice.

Path forward

The National President of Alzheimer’s Australia Graeme Samuel AC perhaps said it best in a media release distributed in September 2015, lauding the appointment of Sussan Ley to the position of Minister for Health and Aged Care.

“As the second leading cause of death in Australia, dementia is no longer an aged care issue, it is a priority health issue,” he said.

Despite this, the Federal Government’s National Framework for Action on Dementia estimates that only one in five Australian’s are aware that the disease is terminal. While there is currently no cure for dementia, Australia is a world leader in the diseases’ research, and progress is being made towards effective treatments.

In 2015, Alzheimer’s Australia was awarded a contract by the Federal Government to establish and run the National Health and Medical Research Council’s $50 million National Institute for Dementia Research. A statement issued by then Minister for Health and Aged Care Sussan Ley said “the institute was focused around improved integration with international research and a focus on rapid translation of evidence from paper to policy and practice”.

While these are all steps forward, the ageing Australian population means more support is needed. Here’s to hoping that the recent announcement from the Queensland Government is a sign of things to come.