Dementia patients receive "too little" from governments but there is light at the end of the tunnel for the disease, a leading scientist says.
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See subscription optionsBrain expert Henry Brodaty made the case for dementia research at the National Press Club, saying funding for the disease lags cancer and heart disease despite being projected to become Australia's biggest killer.
About 430,000 Australians live with dementia, which costs the economy about $3.7 billion each year.
"With only $166 million in funding, (it's) too little for what Australia needs," Professor Brodaty said on Wednesday.
"It's time for a national movement for brain health, backed by research, scaled with urgency, and funded to save lives and money."
One of these schemes came from a dementia prevention trial led by the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing, where Prof Brodaty is a co-director.
It found personalised coaching in areas such as physical activity and nutrition pushed back the onset of dementia by more than a year.
The researcher called for the government to adopt a national dementia risk reduction program, similar to the centre's personalised coaching model.
He said the scheme would shave billions of dollars off treatment and care costs, as the coaching delays onset and slows progression.
It comes as more older Australians are staying in the workforce, meaning supporting cognitive health is a "smart economic strategy" as patients would be kept in the office for longer.
He also said about half of all carers are sacrificing up to 60 hours per week to look after their dementia patients, and by nationalising the program it could keep carers working.
The professor also called for more research into the brain health of athletes after their sporting careers, with concussions from contact sports such as rugby and boxing potentially contributing to a higher risk of dementia.
While safeguards were in place, Prof Brodaty said more research needs to be done into athletes' lives after sport.
Sportspeople can go through "great periods of depression" after their career, he said.
"People who have had depression are likely to have dementia ... I should emphasise these are relative risks," Prof Brodaty said.
"Not everyone with hearing loss will get dementia, not everyone with diabetes will get dementia, or obesity, but they are at an increased (risk)."
The federal government launched a national dementia action plan in 2024, providing eight recommendations based on findings from the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing.
The recommendations include improving dementia treatment and diagnosis, supporting carers and tackling stigma.
Australian Associated Press
