New resources designed to support people who have been diagnosed with dementia have been released by Gippsland Primary Health Network.
Created as part of a collaboration between five Victorian Primary Health Networks (PHNs) – Gippsland, Western Victoria, North Western Melbourne, Eastern Melbourne and Murray – and the Tasmanian PHN, the resources were funded by the Federal Government and detail information and supports available in local communities for people living with dementia, their carers and families.
Gippsland PHN Acting Chief Executive, Angela Jacob, said the resources were developed as part of the Federal Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Mrs Jacob said there was estimated to be nearly half a million Australians who were living with dementia, while around 1.6 million Australians were involved in the care of someone with dementia.
A Priority Issues Paper on dementia, released last year by Gippsland PHN, revealed more than 7,488 people in Gippsland had dementia with this number expected to increase to 13,783 by 2058. An estimated 438 people experienced younger onset dementia (under 65 years).
The paper named dementia as the second cause of death among females in Gippsland and the sixth cause of death among males.
