Report: Adequate dementia care in Australia will need another $500 million
April 10, 2012
A report commissioned by the Department of Health and Ageing, conducted by Alzheimer's Australia, concluded that adequate dementia care will need an additional $500 million in order to be effective, as reported by The West Australian.
This finding was based on a survey of 1,000 people who are living with the neurodegenerative condition. Furthermore, it was common for the health of these individuals to decline sharply once they entered a residential care facility. The families of patients were often disturbed by the lack of sufficient staffing, the use of physical restraints and other conditions of institutional care.
The report also found that there is not enough support for people who would rather care for ailing relatives within their own homes.
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler said that despite expansions in aged care funding and home care facilities, more work is needed.
"It's much more than a question of additional money. It's a question of very complex system reform," Butler said, quoted by the news source.
According to Alzheimer's Australia, 1,600 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the country every week.
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