Dementia to Hit Regions Hardest

By Louise Hall, The Sydney Morning Herald

September 22, 2009 

Australia

The dementia ''epidemic'' will hit regional NSW hardest as baby boomers retire to coastal areas already struggling to provide health and aged care, a report released today says.

Suburbs in the north-west and south-west will bear the brunt of dementia growth in Sydney, with prevalence rates tipped to climb by more than 800 per cent in Camden and 580 per cent in Macquarie Fields by 2050.

The Access Economics report, commissioned by Alzheimer's Australia NSW, predicted that the number of people with dementia would quadruple to 341,000 over the next 40 years. But the burden will fall hardest on rural and regional areas where the average age is rising faster than in cities and access to primary care providers such as GPs and support services is already stretched.
The chief executive of Alzheimer's Australia NSW, John Watkins, said there was an enormous difference in the quality and number of services available for patients and their carers across the state.

''In Armidale there's a fantastic early intervention and diagnosis model, while in Port Macquarie it's virtually impossible to see a GP, and if you go west of the Great Divide, there's only one geriatrician,'' Mr Watkins said.

The electorates of Tweed, Wyong, Port Macquarie, Bega, Myall Lakes and South Coast are in the top 10 for dementia prevalence and are predicted to remain so in 2050, when Camden, Port Stephens, Maitland and Coffs Harbour join the list.

The Health Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, said the report would help in planning dementia-specific services.

''It is important to know where the growth areas will be so we can continue to plan for services in the areas of greatest need,'' Ms Tebbutt said.

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