Dementia in Australia

Although dementia is a disease more commonly seen in people aged 65 or over, it can occur at any age. This section presents information collated from across the Dementia in Australia report relevant to people with dementia under the age of 65 (referred to as younger onset dementia). Note that younger onset dementia is distinct from childhood dementias.

For younger people, the impact of dementia as well as the services and needs required can differ compared to older people. This can be attributed to the significant stage of life differences in people with dementia under the age of 65, who may be working and/or caring for a family at the time of diagnosis. This can greatly affect the social and psychological impact of dementia on the individual, their family, and community (Draper and Withall 2016).

The following pages present statistics and information on:

For further information on people with younger onset dementia including social characteristics from the 2016 Census, patterns of Centrelink payments, patterns of health service use, residential aged care service use and causes of death see Younger onset dementia: new insights using linked data.

For more information about the types of younger onset dementia, risk factors, diagnosis and support, see the Dementia Australia YOD hub.