Above: The PM and Minister Butler announce their aged care reform package in Canberra last week.
People with Alzheimer’s disease, their carers, advocates and staff who work with people living with dementia feel that the Fight Dementia campaign is paying off and the federal government is listening to their concerns, according to Alzheimer’s Australia.
The consumer advocacy and policy organisation, Alzheimer’s Australia, has commended the federal government on its aged care reform package and its response to the Productivity Commission’s Caring for Older Australians inquiry, which it announced last Friday.
President of Alzheimer’s Australia, Ita Buttrose, said the package showed that the Prime Minister and the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, are not just listening to the needs of people living with dementia but are acting to address them.
“Thousands have spoken out about the failings of the health and care system in relation to dementia; the government’s decisions are both a reward and a relief to those 280,000 Australians with dementia and their 1.2 million carers,” Ms Buttrose said.
“The centre piece of the reforms from a consumer point of view is the strengthening of the community care system to make it possible for people with dementia to stay at home longer.
“This is central to any strategy for consumer choice, as is the emphasis in the reforms to empower consumers to have more say over the services they need, when they need them and who delivers them.”
The government’s proposals for tackling dementia address the key priorities in the Fight Dementia campaign particularly; timely diagnosis; improving the quality of dementia care; improving acute care services; support for people with younger onset dementia; and expanded support through the National Dementia Support Program to improve access to better coordinated services.
“There remains a concern about increasing the level of investment in dementia research but this is an issue that Alzheimer’s Australia will be pursuing vigorously through the Minister’s review of Scientific and Medical Funding in Australia.
“It’s great to see a genuine focus on dementia in the aged care reforms. Dementia is getting the attention it deserves.”
Alzheimer’s Australia Fight Dementia campaign was launched late last year, when the federal government announced it would cease specific dementia funding from 2013. Since then, the Department of Health and Ageing has collapsed all exisiting health funding streams into a new funding system – a health and aged care flexible funding pool – which means the organisation will need to compete with others for money.
As part of the campaign, Alzheimer’s Australia requested that the Commonwealth to restore dementia as a National Health Priority, guarantee continual funding, and provide $500 million over five years to address key concerns and fight the disease.
Last Friday the government announced it will “make significant investments to better support people, families and carers living with dementia. A new Dementia Supplement will provide financial assistance of $164.3 million to people receiving Home Care packages and in residential care”.
It also said there will be increased support for primary health care providers to undertake more timely dementia diagnosis, and a stronger focus on people with younger onset dementia.