''The dementia epidemic is here''

(need more investment in dementia research)

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THE next few decades will bring a massive increase in dementia and a huge strain on support services as baby boomers hit their twilight years, a new report says.

Experts warn the burden will fall hardest on families who act as carers and on primary care providers such as GPs, especially in rural areas where the average age is rising faster than in cities.

The Access Economics study, commissioned by Alzheimer's Australia, shows ''the dementia epidemic is here'', said Jack Sach, AA's acting executive director. It is estimated that this year 245,000 Australians, or 1.1 per cent of the population, have dementia, including 63,000 Victorians. The national number is expected to be 374,000 in a decade, and could be almost 600,000 by 2030.

Report author Lynne Pezzullo said dementia would soon join cardiovascular disease and cancer as a major threat to Australian health and quality of life. ''Dementia will become the third greatest source of health and residential aged care spending within two decades,'' she said. ''Managing the challenges presented by dementia will be the overwhelming priority of health care in the 21st century.'' She said it was important to plan early for a change in the focus and resources of the health system. The report called for more investment in dementia research, expanded prevention measures such as exercise that can ward off mental decay, and more attention to the needs of groups such as migrant families.

Without a substantial increase in investment, by 2029 there would be a chronic lack of paid dementia care staff and family carers, the report said. Geriatrician Susan Kurrle said carers - most of them families - and GPs would bear the brunt of the dementia increase. ''It causes a whole lot of strains beyond the sheer impact on the medical system,'' she said. ''If these numbers are even close to correct, there is going to be a lot more people ending up in residential care. ''You have issues like mum getting dementia and dad having to learn to cook for the first time aged 70-something. Or dad gets dementia and mum gets into trouble because he always managed the finances.''

There was also the problem of ''financial abuse'' of vulnerable dementia sufferers. She said the over-75 government-funded screenings by GPs should be expanded to an over-65 test to pick up symptoms of dementia earlier and allow for better preventative treatment and advice.

Joseph Portelli, of Keilor East, helps his mother Marise look after his father Chris, who was diagnosed five years ago with Alzheimer's disease. He has called for more support and education for families who end up caring for a relative with dementia. ''Dad wouldn't know whether he is coming or going, but it's a lot of other people who are affected by the disease, not just the person going through it,'' he said. ''We have to look after the carers. ''These stats are only going to get worse, and who's going to suffer? It's the kids. It's about being educated so you know what to do.'' A spokeswoman for Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot said the Rudd Government was committed to continuing the national Dementia Initiative. ...http://www.topix.com/health/alzheimers-disease/2009

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