Learn

Estimates of the number of Australians living with dementia vary from fewer than 200 000 to more than 450 000. To understand these differences, we assessed the sources of the estimates. The 2021 Australian census, which collected data on the entire population (including people in hospitals and residential aged care), included a question on whether each person had been told by a doctor or nurse they had “dementia (including Alzheimer's)”. For the 2018–19 NPS MedicineWise national survey of general practice, data were extracted from the electronic records of a sample of 569 practices (7% of all general practices) that included 9% of general practitioners and 13% of people who had consulted GPs in Australia during the survey period. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) derived its 2021 estimate from the 2015 Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) report, an analysis of studies applying standardised diagnostic criteria in high income countries, most undertaken before 2000. The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) used standard demographic modelling to estimate the number of people in Australia living with dementia in 2022 for Dementia Australia.

This MJA research letters shares more. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain key components of the research letter
2. List main findings
3. Identify methods to better assess future estimates of the prevalence of dementia in the Australian population.

Details

Author: Annette J Dobson, Leon Flicker, Osvaldo P Almeida, Michael Waller and Kaarin Anstey

Article Type: Research Letter