Dementia becomes nation’s leading cause of death

Dementia is now the leading cause of death for Australians, according to the latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
 
The Dementia in Australia report also predicts Australians living with the disease will surpass one million by 2065.
 
Released on Friday, ahead of this week’s Dementia Action Week, the report reveals that in 2024, an estimated 425,000 Australians were living with dementia.
 
The findings are a ‘call to action’ for policy makers to integrate brain health into primary care, as part of a formalised care framework, says Dr Anthony Marinucci, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Aged Care.
 
‘We really need a more comprehensive approach, an Australian-based approach that really spans prevention, early intervention and ongoing care,’ Dr Marinucci told newsGP.
 
‘As GPs, we are often the first point of contact for most Australians. So, GPs play a crucial part of that role. We’re the foundation of that.’

Dr Marinucci said the latest data would come as no surprise to any healthcare professional.
 
‘We’ve seen this progression of dementia slowly climbing up the charts of the AIHW data,’ he said.
 
‘The policy makers have to flag the importance of this. And that really means integrating brain health into primary care, giving it the correct funding and supporting initiatives for GPs to actually be able to spend time with our patients.’
 
Of particular note for Dr Marinucci was the AIHW’s finding that 43% of dementia cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors, including obesity, high blood sugar and physical inactivity.
 
‘We know that we can really make a difference in the amount of dementia diagnosed, the amount of dementia cases in the country, just simply by helping patients reduce risk factors throughout their life,’ he said.
 
‘Having said that, for all of dementia, we do need a framework of care for GPs to follow, and that includes early diagnosis and referral.
 
‘For instance, if it is one of these non-modifiable dementias, the importance of getting people connected to the right specialist care early is also really going to affect their outcomes.’
 
In December 2024, the Australian Government released its National Dementia Action Plan 2024–34.
 
While still in its early stages of implementation, Dr Marinucci believes a ‘formalised framework’ of care and referral for early interventions for GPs to follow is still needed.
 
‘The problem with a lot of these action plans is they tend to be a little bit disconnected from the clinical level of a lot of doctors treating patients,’ he said.
 
‘The importance of this data is the fact that doctors at all levels are just implementing their screening panels for all of their patients to either modify their risks, or identify early and refer on as early as possible.
 
‘Once we’ve already got symptoms, we’ve passed screening, we’re then at that point of treatment and management. Escalating early and coordinating care and support with all of our colleagues – geriatricians, neurologists, occupational therapist, physios – becomes very important.’
 
Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said with dementia now the leading cause of death for Australians it is ‘more pressing than ever’ for the Federal Government to fund a national conversation on dementia to promote brain health at all ages.
 
‘With aged care across the country already under pressure, and the number of people living with dementia expected to exceed one million by 2065, we simply cannot afford to wait,’ she said.
 
Dr Marinucci agrees that a public awareness campaign is ‘absolutely critical’.
 
‘I’m certain that is part of our National Dementia Action Plan, but the time frames for a lot of the actioning of these things sometimes becomes a little bit opaque,’ he said.
 
‘When the actual “on-the-ground” things happen is what’s important.’
 
In an interview with ABC News in July, Dr Marinucci flagged the added flow-on complication for people with dementia in aged care homes missing out on vaccinations, with reportedly less than 10% having had COVID-19 vaccinations in the previous six months.
 
Due to cognitive decline, vaccination consent reverts to family members and, as a result, many people living in aged care with dementia fall through the cracks.
 
Dr Marinucci said some emerging research shows there ‘might be’ potential links between infective diseases and/or vaccination with certain types of dementia, which made vaccination all the more crucial.
 
‘We’ve seen studies that have shown vaccination against RSV can potentially reduce your risk of dementia,’ he said.
 
‘That’s just a nice, relatively easy and effective and affordable way to protect our population, because we can really improve outcomes for patients and help prevent this terrible disease.
 
‘I suspect in 10 years’ time we’ll know a lot more, and the paradigm of treatment for dementia will be different. But right now, the importance is focusing on what we know these modifiable risk factors are; that’s really the bread and butter of GPs.’

*As part of Dementia Action Week, RACGP Specific Interests and Dementia Training Australia are co-hosting a webinar tonight, 16 September, from 7.30–8.30 pm, focusing on the latest research and clinical trials. Click here for more information and to register.

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brain health burden of disease dementia early onset dementia modifiable risk factor preventive health