The rates of dementia among Indigenous Western Australians are among the worst in the world and more than five-times higher than the general Australian population, according to new research.
In a recently published paper, the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing (WACHA) found that 12.4 per cent of Aboriginal people over the age of 45 in the Kimberley region have dementia.
Australia-wide, only 2.4 per cent of people in this age group have dementia.
WACHA’s Director, Professor Leon Flicker said the unique statistics, which were collated using a new assessment tool, would inform further studies in this area.
“We believe the prevalence of dementia in the Kimberley Indigenous population is one of the highest we’ve seen among all other studied populations throughout the world,” said Professor Flicker.
“With this understanding, we are now taking our work to the next level and looking into developing health services for people with dementia in remote Indigenous communities, and how best these services can be provided to improve the outlook for older Indigenous Australians.”
The study was part of the National Health and Medical Research Council-funded Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) investigations.
The KICA investigations involved 363 participants from five communities and one town in the region.
“Age is the major risk factor for dementia, but the overall health risks the Indigenous population faces may also be contributing, because the same risk factors for cardiovascular disease are linked to dementia,” said Professor Flicker.
