Dementia in Australia

Dementia has a deep impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (respectfully referred to as Indigenous Australians) and communities. The following pages present the impact of dementia among Indigenous Australians in relation to:

• Population health impacts (incidence, prevalence and deaths)
• Burden of disease
• Hospital care
• Aged care service use
• Indigenous-specific health and aged care programs and caring roles.

The pages also discuss what is being done to address the impact of dementia and the availability of services to meet the needs of Indigenous Australians.

It is essential to understand how dementia is understood and managed among Indigenous Australians in order to devise culturally appropriate and effective policies and services. However, there are important data gaps in relation to dementia in Indigenous Australians, which limit the robustness of analyses and the generalisability of findings for Indigenous Australians. These gaps include the lack of Indigenous Australian representation in key survey data, and that data on available services and uptake are not necessarily available outside the organisation providing them (AIHW 2020). As such, results presented here should be interpreted carefully.

Indigenous Australians: key demographics

The term ‘Indigenous Australians’ refer to hundreds of different groups of people with distinct cultures, traditions and languages.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates that in 2021, there were over 812,700 Indigenous Australians, making up 3.2% of the total Australian population. According to the ABS (2022), among Indigenous Australians in 2021:

• 91% identified as Aboriginal people, 4.2% as Torres Strait Islander people, and 4.4% as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• 5.9% were aged 65 years and over, compared with 18% of non-Indigenous Australians. However, the Indigenous Australian population has been ageing and it is expected to continue to do so in the future (Temple et al. 2020).
• 37% lived in capital city areas, compared with 35% in 2016.

How is dementia perceived by Indigenous Australians and what enables people to live well with dementia?

Experiences of dementia and awareness of risk factors for developing dementia vary greatly among Indigenous Australians, as with non-Indigenous Australians (Flicker and Holdsworth 2014). However, as long as dementia doesn’t affect connection to family, community, and culture, many Indigenous Australians perceive the condition as a natural part of life and not necessarily a medical problem that needs to be fixed (Alzheimer’s Australia 2006).

Policies and service enablers that support Indigenous Australians with dementia to live well include those that: incorporate Indigenous cultural perspectives of dementia; support family and communities to care for loved ones with dementia on Country; and are controlled by the community and delivered in a culturally safe manner (see Table 12.1 for more details).

Source: Information is summarised from: Alzheimer’s Australia 2006; Arkles et al. 2010; Lindeman et al. 2017; LoGiudice et al. 2020; Smith et al. 2007; Smith 2008; Smith et al. 2020; Warburton and Chambers 2007; Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing 2010.