$200m dementia boost in budget not enough, warns top expert
Senior Australian of the Year and passionate dementia advocate Henry Brodaty welcomed the federal government’s investment in dementia care but said it was crucial it was “matched by a sustained and strengthened commitment to research”.
A further 20 specialized dementia care programs will be launched across the country, and hospital programs that help older people successfully transition from hospitals to residential aged care will expand from 11 to 20 locations, thanks to $224.3 million in funding support.
“Today’s budget is a strong and welcome step forward in recognizing the scale and urgency of dementia in Australia,” Scientia Professor Brodaty and co-director of the Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA) Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev told news.com.
“With a clear emphasis on dementia, the $3 billion investment in aged care is both timely and necessary as we face a rapidly growing number of Australians living with the condition. “Dementia is one of the greatest health, social and economic challenges of our time.
“And while this investment lays an important foundation, it must also be matched by a sustained and strengthened commitment to research.
“Research is not an optional extra, it is the foundation of better care,” the professors said.
“This way we improve diagnosis, develop new and more effective interventions, and create systems of care that are both high-quality and sustainable.
“We cannot deliver the outcomes Australians deserve without sustained investment in research and evidence.
“We already know that even relatively small advances can make a big difference.”
NED-14113-Think again infobox
Prof Brodaty is a leading voice on news.com.au and in the Rethink Australia campaign launched in September 2025, which aims to change the narrative that dementia only affects older people and is an inevitable part of aging.
The campaign also called for more government funding and a more coordinated approach to care once a person is diagnosed with dementia.
Figures compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and published by Dementia Australia show 446,500 Australians are affected by the brain health condition, up 13,500 cases from the previous year.
This number is expected to more than double to one million people by 2065.
Approximately 30,000 Australians under the age of 65 are living with young-onset dementia, while approximately 1500 children are living with childhood dementia.
Australians living with dementia 2025 – 2065
Professors Brodaty and Sachdev said that “delaying the onset of dementia by just one year could reduce prevalence by around 10 per cent, resulting in significant benefits for individuals, families, carers and the wider healthcare system.”
“This kind of impact is only possible when rigorous and well-supported research is translated into practice,” the professors said.
“If Australia is serious about tackling dementia, research must remain at the heart of our national response spanning prevention, diagnosis and care.
“With the right investment, we have the opportunity to not only improve the care we provide for people living with dementia, but also to lead the world in reducing its impact across the entire care continuum.”
