It is often assumed that people with dementia require care at all times. However, with the appropriate help and support, people with dementia can live independently in their own home, often until their dementia has advanced and care needs become greater.
According to the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), of the people with dementia who lived in the community in 2018, 86% lived in private dwellings with other people, while 14% lived alone. Men were more likely to have been living with other people (91%) than women (81%) (Table S2.3). Further information on the SDAC can be found in the Technical notes.
With Australia’s population expected to continue growing and ageing into the future, the number of people with dementia is also expected to rise. Applying the AIHW-derived prevalence rates discussed above to ABS population projections for each year to 2058, it is estimated the number of people with dementia in Australia will more than double over this period—from just over 386,200 in 2021 to 849,300 in 2058 (around 315,500 men and 533,800 women) (Figure 2.3).
This trend is driven by the projected continued growth and ageing of Australia’s population, as the condition is increasingly common in older age. As demographic projections over long periods carry a large degree of uncertainty and this approach assumes that the incidence of dementia (that is, no changes in the rate of new dementia cases in future years) and mortality rates for dementia remain the same, these estimates should be interpreted with caution. Further, recent findings suggest that the official estimated resident population for Australia is less accurate as age increases, especially among those aged 100 and over (Wilson & Temple 2020). Refer to Table S2.4 for more details on the estimated dementia prevalence by age and sex between 2010 and 2058.