Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Siewert for her question about dementia programs. The Australian government is committed to funding the delivery of a range of dementia support activities. This support includes provision of $8.3 billion for the care of people in aged-care homes, 52 per cent of whom have a diagnosis of dementia. The government also funds the Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia packages and respite care to support people in the community and has funded around $30 million in service improvements, including in information provision, counselling services, referral, education and training. The government does take this issue very seriously.

The report into dementia amongst aged-care residents found that the Aged Care Funding Instrument recognises that residents with dementia have greater care needs and that it provides, on average, additional funding of approximately $7,000 per annum per resident to assist with those needs. The government provided funding of $8.5 million to the NHMRC for dementia research, including funding for Dementia Collaborative Research Centres, of which there are three, to undertake dementia research and to translate the outcomes of that research into practice.

Emerging evidence suggests that a healthy lifestyle assists in the prevention of dementia. The Australian government's $872 million investment in healthy living and the establishment of the National Preventive Health Agency are also contributing to better management of lifestyle factors, which may help prevent the onset of dementia. The government welcomes the release of the report Dementia across Australia 2011 to 2050. (Time expired)