New reports released today from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reinforce that dementia is a public health issue and a focus on preventing or delaying dementia is needed urgently.
The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 confirmed that dementia is the second leading cause of disease burden (4.5%) after coronary heart disease (5.5%). A new monitoring dashboard has also been released to track progress against targets of two key strategies – the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 and the National Obesity Strategy 2022-2032.
Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said despite the growing number of Australians diagnosed with dementia, it is not receiving the recognition it needs.
“Mentions of dementia are largely missing from these strategies and to date, dementia has mostly been absent from our public health collective understanding in Australia,” Professor Buchanan said.
“Even though tackling these challenges would impact positively on dementia, nowhere is dementia recognised as a chronic preventable illness to the same extent as cancer or other chronic conditions.
“That’s why in a 2025-26 Pre-budget submission, Dementia Australia is seeking support for a national brain health initiative to improve community understanding of dementia risk factors and to raise awareness of dementia.
“This call for a national brain health campaign is even more pertinent following the release of the 2024 update of the Lancet Commission on the prevention, treatment, and care of dementia, which reports that there are fourteen modifiable risk factors which, if addressed effectively, could reduce dementia incidence by up to 45% worldwide.
“A focus on preventing or delaying dementia is crucial – there is currently no cure for dementia and the number of Australians living with dementia is expected to double in the next 25 years without significant levels of intervention.
“Dementia Australia is committed to working with the Government to continue to support people living with dementia, their families and carers and increasing brain health awareness in our communities.”
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Dementia Australia is the source of trusted information, education and services for the estimated more than 421,000 Australians living with dementia, and the more than 1.6 million people involved in their care. We advocate for positive change and support vital research. We are here to support people impacted by dementia, and to enable them to live as well as possible. No matter how you are impacted by dementia or who you are, we are here for you.
For support, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500. An interpreter service is available. The National Dementia Helpline is funded by the Australian Government. People looking for information can also visit dementia.org.au
Media contacts: Catherine McCarthy, Media and Communications Advisor, 0466 796 201 or catherine.mccarthy@dementia.org.au | Gabrielle Prabhu, Media & Communications Manager, 0403 177 754 or Gabrielle.Prabhu@dementia.org.au
When talking or writing about dementia please refer to Dementia-Friendly Language Guidelines.
Note to Editors:
We request, where possible, details for the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 appear alongside news stories about dementia, as these stories often prompt questions or concerns:
If this story has prompted any questions or concerns, please call the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 (24 hours, 7 days a week) or visit dementia.org.au.
