HEALTH & WELLBEING
Fear of people with dementia increases
DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
Almost a third of Australians find people living with dementia frightening , according to a recent survey . In response , national peak body and charity Dementia Australia has called for urgent action and commitments from councils , businesses , community groups and leaders in every corner of Australia to take decisive action and be the change that makes their communities more dementia friendly .
Dementia Action Week was held in September from the 18 th -24 th and , despite increasing awareness and dementia being the second leading cause of death , this fear and a lack of understanding about the condition leads to real-world impacts on people living with dementia .
Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe AM said she was alarmed by the results of successive surveys showing 32 per cent of Australians found people living with dementia frightening , an increase from 23 per cent a decade ago .
“ There is also research , commissioned by Dementia Australia , showing that 80 per cent of those with a loved one living with dementia felt that people in shops , cafes and restaurants treated people with dementia differently ,” Ms McCabe said .
“ These are our parents , grandparents , friends and neighbours now and in the future , it could be anyone reading this who might be diagnosed with dementia .
“ These are devastating findings . This fear leads to stigma and discrimination which can have a real and distressing impact on people living with dementia , their families and carers . People may avoid seeking critical medical and social support and become increasingly socially isolated .
“ Dementia is a largely invisible disease and what we can ’ t see , we don ’ t understand and what we don ’ t understand we are often afraid of and then avoid .”
Dementia Australia Advisory Committee Chair Bobby Redman , who lives with dementia , said fear of those living with dementia could stem from depictions in popular culture .
“ If you have this stereotype of what a person with dementia is and it ’ s somebody who is violent or aggressive , you ’ re seeing an extreme ,” Ms Redman said .
“ However , if you know someone with dementia , you ’ ll realise that we ’ re just regular people with an illness . It ’ s similar to any type of discrimination or stigma – once you know people from that community , they ’ re no longer scary .”
With an estimated 400,000 Australians currently living with dementia – an estimated 70 per cent of whom live in the community , Ms McCabe said the impact was being felt by families across the country and we must act now – and we all can all take some action .
“ The good news is , there are so many simple things we can do every day to change this ,” she said .
“ We have the resources and information freely available on our website www . dementia . org . au for anyone to make a start .
“ Inspiring our communities to become more dementia-friendly – where people living with dementia are supported to continue to live their lives in the communities they know and love ; where they are supported to continue to contribute to those communities , they have been part of their entire lives – can be so simple and empowering for all involved .
“ We must act now for a dementia friendly future . After all , a dementiafriendly future is one that is better for everyone in the community .”
Ms McCabe said there were many wonderful examples of organisations , councils and groups which had already demonstrated leadership and taken simple , practical actions to make their communities more dementia friendly .
“ We have such inspiring examples of communities that have created welcoming and inclusive environments for people impacted by dementia through our Dementia-Friendly Communities program . It shows that it can be done , it does have an impact and it doesn ’ t have to take much ,” she said .
“ People living with dementia , their families and carers need to see this replicated all over the country .”
Ms Redman said understanding and support were key to creating more caring communities that would benefit a lot of people , not just those living with dementia .
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 100 // OCTOBER 2023 19