FAQ

Dementia is a set of symptoms that are caused by brain disease and affects the way the brain is able to work. There are many causes and forms of dementia, however, the most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease.

People may experience dementia differently, it depends on the type of dementia they have, where the brain is being damaged and what they were like before they had dementia.

In Australia, there are currently 342,800 people with dementia, including more than 25,000 with younger onset dementia.  It is estimated that one person is diagnosed with dementia every six minutes.  In Victoria, we estimate there to be 81,000 people living with dementia. This figure is expected to increase to almost 246,000 by 2050. Dementia is, in fact, the largest cause of disability in people over the age of 65 in Australia and currently there is no cure.

If dementia does not affect us directly, it is likely to impact on us indirectly, through our everyday encounters with people living with dementia – in the street, when shopping, in our workplace, on public transport and in public places.

The majority of people with dementia live in the community. Often people feel socially isolated and wish that they had more opportunities to interact with people in the community and to participate in social or other activities. With the support of their employer, community, local businesses and organisations, neighbours, and friends and family members, people with dementia can continue to do many of the things they did before they received a diagnosis. 

A dementia-friendly community is one in which people living with dementia are supported to live a high quality of life with meaning, purpose and value.

It is a community where people are aware of and understand dementia, and people with dementia feel included and involved and have choice and control over their day-to-day lives.

Principles of dementia-friendly communities:

•  Involve people with dementia

•  Challenge stigma and build understanding

•  Provide accessible community activities for people with dementia

•  Acknowledge the potential of people with dementia

•  Ensure an early diagnosis of dementia

•  Practical support for both the person with dementia and their carer to enable engagement in community life

•  Community based solutions helping people to live in their own home for longer

•  Consistent and reliable travel options

•  Easy to navigate environments

•  Respectful and responsive business and services.

Information provided by Alzheimer’s Australia.