In January 2015 Alzheimer's Australia released its NSW Election Manifesto ahead of the 28 March 2015 state election.
On the 17 February 2015 it sent out a media release titled Call For Support For Dementia Services In The NSW Election.
ALZHEIMER'S Australia is calling for major political parties to commit to better funding for research into the disease as part of their NSW Election platforms.
Updated dementia prevalence figures have supported the call for a comprehensive state-wide dementia strategy to be implemented in NSW, across health, transport, policing, housing and other government services.
In the state electorates of Coffs Harbour, Oxley and Clarence, it's estimated that a combined total of 4,400 people are already living with dementia.
These numbers are expected to increase to 5,030 by 2020 and 9,450 by 2050.
Alzheimer's Australia NSW chief executive, The Hon John Watkins, said the number of people with dementia in NSW is now estimated to be almost 112,000.
"These figures show dementia is an issue that is only going to get bigger and we really need a whole-of-government approach to appropriately tackle the challenge," Mr Watkins said.
"This means doing things like taking a serious look at how to provide much better care for people with dementia when they need to go to hospital.
"There is a need to increase specialist palliative care for people with dementia and adequately fund health-related transport to support people living with dementia to access health and medical-related appointments.
"With the tragically high level of dementia in Aboriginal communities, we also need to look specifically at dementia care and risk reduction measures for that community…..
A number of candidates standing in the seat of Clarence at the forthcoming state election have mentioned mental health services and cancer treatment as issues important to the electorate, but I have yet to hear any express an opinion on the subject of dementia.
According to Alzheimer's Australia; Dementia is the 3rd leading cause of
death in Australia (source: ABS, March 2014).
Dementia prevalence projections by NSW electorate on the Far North Coast expects the number of people suffering from this devastating disease to rise by 2020 to:
Ballina 1,623
Clarence 1,697
Lismore 1,565
Tweed 2,018
TOTAL: 6,903
The prevalence projection for the number of people with dementia within North Coast Area Health Service boundaries in twenty-five years time is 27,661.
It's time all candidates in NSW North Coast electorates considered the social and economic implications of these figure.
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