11: The workforce treating and caring for people with dementia
There are 2 main activities proposed to improve data on the workforce treating and caring for people living with dementia at a national level. These include activities to:
- 11a: Incorporate key Aged Care Worker and Provider survey analyses into routine monitoring, and work to improve data on the capabilities of the workforce caring for and supporting people with dementia
- 11b: Report data from dementia education and training across Australia
Each activity provides information on the intended outcome, level of investment required, timeframe for completion of the activity and who is responsible for undertaking the activity.
Activity 11a: Incorporate key Aged Care Worker and Provider survey analyses into routine monitoring, and work to improve data on the capabilities of the workforce caring for and supporting people with dementia
High quality care and support for people with dementia requires a workforce that is equipped and capable in delivering appropriate care. This activity involves analysing data sources that collect information on the workforces caring for people with dementia, such as the Aged Care Worker and Provider surveys. These surveys collect information on dementia-specific training and qualifications among the aged care workforce, and suitable data could be incorporated into routine monitoring products. Where there is opportunity, the AIHW National Centre for Monitoring Dementia (NCMD) could also collaborate with survey providers to incorporate additional dementia-related questions.
| Outcome | Improved data on the aged care workforce caring for people with dementia. |
|---|---|
| Level of investment | Medium |
| Timeframe | Medium |
| Responsible stakeholder | AIHW NCMD |
| Progress | Findings from the Aged Care Provider Survey are included as a measure of dementia training and capability among the aged care workforce, in the National Dementia Action Plan indicators dashboard. The 2024 Aged Care Worker Survey included questions about dementia training and education for the aged care workforce. The AIHW is assessing the results and awaiting confirmation via repeat measurement. The AIHW expects to include data from this survey in future routine monitoring products. Future work could scope other data sources, particularly for measuring workforce capabilities beyond the aged care sector, such as in community services, disability and health sectors. |
Activity 11b: Report data from dementia education and training across Australia
Better data on dementia-specific training undertaken by the workforce caring for people with dementia, would provide a step toward monitoring how well-equipped the dementia workforce is to provide high quality, person-centred care for patients and clients with dementia. Regular monitoring of dementia education and training could open avenues to target dementia-specific training to where it is needed and identify optimal educational contexts for introducing dementia-specific training.
This project would aim to explore the sources of workforce training information available (such as, Wicking Centre, Dementia Training Australia, Dementia Australia and possibly universities and Registered Training Organisations that include TAFE and entities approved to deliver dementia-specific courses), to determine whether sufficient dementia-specific information is available to routinely monitor the workforce and their training and qualifications. Once feasibility is assessed and reported on as part of the data improvement work program, workforce monitoring would become part of routine monitoring of dementia.
| Outcome | Collated national reporting of dementia-specific training and qualification data to monitor the capability of the workforce to provide high-quality care for people with dementia; data can be used to report on NDAP action 7. |
|---|---|
| Level of investment | Medium |
| Timeframe | Short (initial) to long (once routine) |
| Responsible stakeholder | AIHW NCMD; training organisations and educational institutions; agencies responsible for education/training policy and data collection |
| Progress | Dementia Training Australia data and data on Vocational Education Training are included as a measure of dementia training and capability among the aged care workforce, in the National Dementia Action Plan indicators dashboard. Further work is needed to understand dementia training across the wide workforce of people caring for people with dementia, and whether there are particular sectors requiring increased training opportunities. |
Services provided across the health, aged care, disability and community sectors are a major source of support for people with dementia and their carers. This can include health care services (for example, those provided in the community by general practitioners (GPs), specialists and allied health professionals, and health care in hospital settings), pharmaceuticals, aged care assessments, aged care packages, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) supports, and other community and residential aged care services. Post-diagnostic support services are also important to help manage dementia.
There is an expansive workforce providing treatment, care and support to improve outcomes for people living with dementia. Regular monitoring of this workforce would open avenues to:
- identify workforce gaps and plan for future needs
- target dementia-specific training in current areas of high need
- identify optimal educational contexts for introducing dementia-specific training to ensure maximum coverage of the workforce (such as communities of practice, micro credentials, and sharing of resources regarding effective support and treatment for people living with dementia).
However, there is a current lack of national comprehensive data on the formal workforce treating and caring for people with dementia.
Addressing the data gap and improving data
There are a number of key data gaps in the aged care workforce space, which was highlighted by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommendations (Royal Commission 2021). Recommendations included:
- more regular monitoring of the aged care workforce. In response, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing regularly collects data through the Aged Care Provider Workforce Survey (which has replaced the Aged Care Workforce Census) and the Aged Care Worker Survey (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) 2025a).
- implementing mandatory dementia care training for workers engaged in residential aged care and in care in the community, based on finding that staff often lack skills and resources to appropriately care for people with dementia, particularly people experiencing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (Royal Commission 2021). The Australian Government funds the Dementia Training Program to improve workforce skills for those working with people with dementia in the primary, acute, residential and community-based care sectors. This includes personal care workers, as well as GPs, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, specialists, and allied and other health professionals (DHDA 2025b).
The Royal Commission also found evidence that insufficient training among health and aged care workers contributed to the substandard care of people living with dementia (Royal Commission 2021). Better data on dementia education and training among health and aged care providers could be used to monitor care provision and identify where further training is needed. Better data are also needed on knowledge of dementia risks and risk reduction strategies among primary health care professionals.
Building a better understanding of the composition of the workforce treating, supporting and caring for people with dementia beyond aged care, and their training, would improve ongoing dementia-specific workforce monitoring. It would also help monitor workforce knowledge to provide high quality, person-centred care for patients and clients with dementia.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) (2025a) Dementia Training Program, DHDA website, accessed 15 October 2025.
DHDA (2025b) Aged care workforce data collections, DHDA website, accessed 15 October 2025.
Royal Commission (Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety) (2021) Final report: care, dignity and respect: volume 1 summary and recommendations, accessed 16 May 2023.