Rising toll of dementia victims

THE number of Australians living with dementia has dramatically risen and is set to become Australia’s number one cause of death in coming years.

The latest statistics reveal the number of Australian men and women with dementia has increased by 68.6 per cent in the past 10 years.

While dementia is currently the second leading cause of death in Australia, on current trend it will become number one in coming years.

“Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, replaced Cerebrovascular diseases as the second leading cause in 2013 and on current trend will become the leading cause of death in coming years,” according to findings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Dementia Australia chief executive Maree McCabe now warns dementia is “the chronic condition of the 21st century”.

With more Australians living longer, she said dementia is becoming more common and is one of our nation’s “greatest challenges”.

“Certainly into the future it is going to be an issue and it is something we need to plan for now,” Ms McCabe said.

She was not shocked that dementia was fast becoming the leading cause of death in Australia saying the terminal disease “kills brain cells”.

“It’s a disease of the brain and what often happens is people lose their mobility because of dementia or they might develop pneumonia.

“Areas of the brain are responsible for the function of vital organs, but those organs will no longer be able to function because of the death of the brain cells,” Ms McCabe said.

Last year, 13,963 Australians died from dementia while there were 8280 recorded deaths caused by the neurodegenerative illness in 2013.

Ms McCabe said continued research to understand the causes, delay onset and reduce the risk of getting dementia was vital, as was informing the public on how they can reduce their risk of getting the disease.

Ms McCabe said research showed following a Mediterranean diet, exercising at least 30 minutes per day and stimulating the brain could help.

Following the revelations from the royal commission into aged care, Ms McCabe hopes it puts a spotlight on the need for more improved conditions for dementia patients in the aged care sector.