DEMENTIA will become Australias most expensive medical condition over the next 40 years, with annual costs predicted to balloon from $6 billion this year to about $83 billion by 2050. <\/p>\n
Alzheimers Australia Vic chief executive Maree McCabe said aged care for a dementia patient cost about $21,500 each year and would increase exponentially with wages, treatment and interventions. <\/p>\n
Governments know what we need, the time has come now to outline a funding plan for it - not for the next year or five years, but for over the next decade to 20 years, Ms McCabe said. <\/p>\n
The Federal Government terminated The Dementia Initiative - making dementia a national health priority in its 2011-12 Budget. <\/p>\n
Last week, the Federal Government announced $268.4 million over five years to tackle dementia. <\/p>\n
This includes $164.3 million for people receiving home care packages and in residential care, and there will also be extra support for primary health care providers. <\/p>\n
However this falls short of the $500 million over five years called for by Alzheimers Australia. <\/p>\n
We need to increase our services, Ms McCabe said. <\/p>\n
We need to raise awareness about dementia, especially when it comes to ensuring people achieve a timely diagnosis. <\/p>\n
National Ageing Research Institute director Prof David Ames said huge advances had been made in understanding the biology of dementia, but treatments remained limited. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nDEMENTIA CARE: the cost of caring in the west<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"