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As Australia's population ages, the number of residents suffering from dementia is expected to reach 385,000 patients in 2021.
The Deloitte Access Economics report released on Thursday said that would mean a doubling of dementia cases in just one decade. The alarming increase spurred Alzheimer's Australia to lead a Thursday march to Parliament House to press the government to allocate $500 million over the next five years for dementia.
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To be hit by the fast growth of dementia cases would be Queensland, which is the favorite destination of retirees because of the beachside coastal areas of Wide Bay, Gold and Sunshine coasts.
As a result, the report forecasts number of dementia patients in Queensland to quadruple to 215,000 in 2050 from the current 48,000. The report said the dementia sufferers will likely be concentrated in the areas of Hinkler, Fairfax, Fisher and Moncrieff.
Victoria Beedle, chief executive for Queensland of Alzheimer's Australia, said with the unprecedented rise of dementia patients, Queensland would need more carers as the medical community and families would find it hard to manage the terminal illness.
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To join the march to push for the $500 million dementia fund are members of the organisation from other Australian states where dementia cases are expected to rise together with the graying of their population.
"This will provide funding to promote dementia awareness, achieve timely diagnosis, provide quality care, make Australian aware that they may be able to reduce their risk of dementia, and invest in dementia research," The Mercury quoted Alzheimer's Australia Tasmanian Chief Executive Debbie Sister.
Dementia is a non-specific illness symptom which affects a person's cognition such as memory, attention, language and problem solving abilities. It is normally progressive and has no known cure.
