Barriers hinder Indigenous dementia support on Country
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at higher risk of developing dementia, but many remain undiagnosed and experts are calling for better support.
According to the ARC Center of Excellence in Population Aging Research, approximately 2500 Indigenous people across Australia are living with diagnosed dementia, and this number is predicted to be 4.5 to 5.5 times higher by 2051.
While rates of dementia in remote communities are among the highest in the world, Indigenous people aged 60 and over living in urban and regional areas are three times more likely to have the condition than the general population.
Dementia Training Australia chief executive Isabelle Meyer said First Nations people were also more likely to show symptoms of the condition earlier.
“The really big risk factors relate to things like diabetes, smoking and alcohol,” he told AAP.
“There is also a significant and growing body of evidence that trauma is a significant risk factor for the development of dementia.”
Dr Meyer said people, especially in remote communities, were living with symptoms of dementia but faced barriers to diagnosis.
“There is increasing anxiety and fear about even seeking this out in the first place because it often means traveling thousands of kilometers from the Country to get diagnostic tests,” he said.
“A lot of people don’t want to take the risk of never returning to Country.”
Dr Meyer said to properly support Indigenous people living with dementia, communities and family members need access to resources to help raise their awareness of the condition, and health professionals need culturally appropriate training.
Dr Meyer said Dementia Training Australia provides such training to aged care facilities and communities.
He said efforts needed to be stepped up to encourage young people to pursue careers in healthcare and to support those living with dementia to live at home in their communities.
“The quality of life that we can give to these people (in their homes), the value and quality that we can give to these communities is incredible,” Dr Meyer said.
“Let’s not waste these lives and potential and send people thousands of miles away to a memory clinic; that’s not reasonable.”
Dr Meyer said Stolen Generations survivors were more likely to develop dementia due to their experiences of trauma, and said communication and how healthcare professionals interact with these people was also incredibly important.
Health care workers need to improve communication with patients while avoiding increased trauma and confusion, he said.
“One of the things we do really poorly in the healthcare system, which has a huge impact when you’re dealing with someone with dementia, is that we don’t really get to know them,” he said.
“They’re not already traumatized, we’re there with the nail gun, hammering trauma into their forehead when they see an authority figure in the healthcare system.”
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