The 'silent killer' disease with the highest death rate in Australia
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- Professor reveals how you can minimise the risk
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More than one million Australians are expected to be living with dementia by 2065, with the silent killer now the leading cause of death in the country.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released its updated Dementia in Australia report on Friday, revealing a significant rise in cases.
Dementia is not a specific disease, but a group of symptoms that cause progressive decline in brain function, affecting memory, behaviour, and physical abilities.
While common in elderly people, the preventable disease is not a normal part of ageing and can be devastating for individuals and their loved ones.
An estimated 433,000 Australians are currently living with dementia in 2025.
Dementia is the leading cause of death in Australian women, accounting for one in eight deaths, and the second leading cause for men.
Professor Matthew Kiernan, Neuroscience Research Australia's CEO, said Australians should start minimising their risk of dementia in their 30s and 40s.
'We've got to start intervening late 30s early 40s, start 'training' for dementia. We need to de-stigmatise dementia, and also understand dementia is disengagement in the community,' he told Daily Mail on Friday.
Young Australians (pictured at Bondi Beach) should shake the stigma and begin thinking about dementia from young adulthood, one of Australia's leading neuroscientists has said
Dementia is often referred to as a 'silent killer' because its symptoms, such as confusion and forgetfulness, can go unrecognised for years.
'The brain is the executive function, and makes us human, but it also then controls your heart, your lungs, the heart is getting a message from the brain to beat 60 times each minute, your brain stem is telling your lungs to breathe,' Prof Kiernan explained.
'Once the brain starts turning off, the organs start turning off.'
In addition to regular exercise and refraining from smoking, keeping the brain engaged into old age is imperative in preventing dementia.
'Australians need to be staying engaged in the community, with work, with family, and activities,' Prof Kiernan said.
'If things interfere with that, your risk increases, for example, with depression, treating depression has an impact in terms of dementia outcomes.
'Another one is hearing - let's say you go to a dinner party, if you can't hear what people are saying you begin to become isolated and less involved.'
But Prof Kiernan said there was more to learn about the challenge dementia posed.
Professor Matthew Kiernan, Neuroscience Research Australia's CEO, (above) said Australians needed to be more educated about the risk factors impacting dementia
'Firstly there has to be a national education program; people don't really know what dementia means. It's an overarching term for a lot of diseases,' he said.
The new Dementia in Australia report states 43 per cent of cases can be attributed to six addressable risk factors.
Those include being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure in midlife, smoking, and impaired kidney function.
Dementia leads to a weakened state of the body which is highly susceptible to illnesses and physical damage.
Frailty in old age also compounds with dementia and can be reduced with physical exercise, resistance training and a high-protein diet.
But there is hope on the horizon. Monoclonal antibody treatments to slow cognitive decline are expected to arrive in Australia soon, with more therapies in development. However, experts agree prevention remains the most powerful tool.
Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said the impact dementia has on Australian families is significant.
'With dementia now the leading cause of death for Australians it is more pressing than ever that the federal government commit to funding a national conversation on dementia to raise awareness and promote brain health at all ages,' she said.
Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan (pictured) called on the government to fund national 'conversations' about dementia
Dementia advocate Lil Mirtl, who lives with the disease, said it was time to act now to provide the support and services for affected Australians.
'We don't have time to feel uncomfortable or awkward about these conversations about dementia – we need to have them now,' she said.
'We have to pull together as a community to do this. We can't do it alone as individuals, the government can't do it alone, we need to all act together.'
National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500
