Tracking the Action Plan’s impact on First Nations people
Dementia has a deep impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (respectfully referred to as First Nations people) and communities. First Nations people in Australia experience a higher burden of dementia, but also additional challenges to accessing appropriate health and aged care services that can support them to live well with dementia.
This web report presents specific metrics, called indicators, to track change over time, under each of the measures of progress. 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.
Ten of the 53 indicators with data in the Action Plan currently have data available for reporting on First Nations people (Table 10).
There are 10 measures of progress that are specific to First Nations people: only 2 currently have data available to track progress (measures 8.1 and 8,4). Table 11 lists the 8 measures of progress that do not have any data available and where data development is needed.
How does the Action Plan aim to improve the lives of First Nations people with dementia, their families and carers?
The Action Plan was developed through extensive public consultation with the aim of maximising its impact. For priorities related to First Nations people, consultations were carried out with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and its member organisations as well as with policymakers and expert researchers working in First Nations health and welfare related areas.
The Action Plan considers the specific needs of First Nations people across each of its 8 priority areas for actions. To support accountability, the Action Plan also has statements of how progress will be measured. In total, there are 45 of these statements or measures of progress in the Action Plan, and 10 of these measures are specifically targeted for First Nations people. They cover the following areas:
- increased culturally appropriate dementia resources for First Nations people
- improved access to and use of culturally safe diagnostic and post-diagnostic services, including by embedding diagnostic services and carer support services in Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations (ACCOs)
- improved culturally appropriate advance care planning, respite care, and palliative care for First Nations people
- improved dementia data for First Nations people and increased number of studies involving First Nations people with lived experience of dementia.
It is essential to explore how dementia is understood and managed among diverse First Nations communities to devise culturally and linguistically appropriate and effective policies and services, and measure whether outcomes are improving.
There are important data gaps in relation to dementia in First Nations people which limit the options available to track the Action Plan’s progress.
The National Dementia Data Improvement Plan 2023–2034 outlines steps that are being taken to address these gaps, and suggests new activities that should be undertaken to address these gaps. Closing dementia data gaps, including for First Nations people requires a joint commitment by governments and other key stakeholders, and cannot be led by the AIHW alone.
While the National Centre for Monitoring Dementia (NCMD) is leading several new dementia data initiatives, including for First Nations people, many of the NCMD’s activities rely on joint commitment and close collaboration with governments and key stakeholders across a range of sectors. For more information, see Enablers for improved dementia data.
For other routine reports on the population health impacts, burden of disease and First Nations-specific health and aged care programs, see Dementia in Australia’s First Nations Australians with dementia.
Measure of progress | Indicator with data for First Nations |
|---|---|
1.4 Dementia services in rural areas | |
2.3 Help-seeking & sharing a diagnosis | |
3.1 Public knowledge on risk reduction | |
4.8 Supports for younger people | Number of approved NDIS plans for people living with younger onset dementia. Number of people living with younger onset dementia referred to Dementia Support Australia (DSA). |
6.1 Carer satisfaction with support services | Number of family and carers who receive supports through Dementia Australia. |
7.1–7.3 Dementia care training & capability | Proportion of aged care workers who completed dementia care training in the previous 12 months. Number of students who completed a vocational training subject about dementia. |
8.1 Lived experience involvement | National research guidelines require lived experience involvement. |
8.4–8.5 Improved national dementia data |
No. | Measure of progress |
|---|---|
1.2 | |
1.3 | |
4.3 | |
5.3 | |
5.10 | |
6.2 | Increased access for First Nations carers to support services embedded in ACCHOs and ACCOs. |
6.4 | |
7.4 | Dementia care by mainstream providers to First Nations people is culturally safe. |