Action 2: Tackle stigma, improve awareness and inclusivity

Where do we want to be in 10 years?

Australia is a dementia inclusive society that understands people living with dementia and their carers. It actively enables them to fully participate in society and supports them to live independently in their communities for longer.

Outcome statement for people living with dementia

I feel safe and engaged in society, and I have a sense of meaning and identity. I live a life free from stigma, discrimination and abuse.

How will we know if the National Dementia Action Plan has made a difference?

This web report presents specific metrics, called indicators, to track change over time, under each of the measures of progress (see Table 2). Measures of progress are part of the Action Plan and are broad statements on how governments will assess if the Action Plan is meeting its objectives.

Baseline values below represent the situation at the start of the Action Plan. In future years, data will be updated to assess if indicators are improving over time. More information about each indicator is presented in the next pages.

Table 2: Summary of indicators for Action 2 measures of progress

Measure of progress

Indicator

Baseline value

Baseline timepoint

Data source

2.1 Stigma & attitudes1

Average dementia stigma scores among Australians (using the Dementia Public Stigma Scale).

A score of 51 out of 112

2023

Dementia Awareness Survey

2.2 Dementia knowledge1

Average dementia knowledge scores among Australians (using the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale).

A score of 21 out of 50

2023

Dementia Awareness Survey

2.3 Help-seeking & sharing a diagnosis1

Proportion of Australians willing to seek help if they thought they had symptoms of dementia.

49% would seek help immediately

2023

Dementia Awareness Survey

2.3 Help-seeking & sharing a diagnosis1

Proportion of Australians who would be willing to share their dementia diagnosis if they developed dementia.

96%

2023

Dementia Awareness Survey

2.4 Dementia-friendly communities1

Number of dementia-friendly communities registered with Dementia Australia.

191*

2023–24

Dementia Australia

2.5 Experiences of stigma or abuse

Data not currently available, development underway

Notes on data availability and completeness:

  1. Satisfactory data available.

For more information, see how data availability and completeness are assessed.

Notes on data status for this release:

     *  Updated data.