National Action on Dementia

The policy logic of the need to make dementia a priority with coordinated action has compelled other countries to follow with national plans. These vary greatly from country to country, but all ultimately aim to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their families by ensuring access to early diagnosis, information, and high quality care and support. Some countries have also focused on reducing the future numbers of people with dementia through investment in research and preventative health.

Paper 25: National Strategies to Address Dementia  

Alzheimer’s Australia’s new paper provides an overview of a range of approaches that a selection of countries have taken to address dementia. It is not a comprehensive review of all national strategies and is based on readily available information. You can download the full report here.

Australia moving forward  

As part of the Fight Dementia Campaign, Alzheimer’s Australia has put forward an Action Plan to Government to address the growing dementia epidemic in Australia through more funding for awareness, timely diagnosis, care, research and prevention. The Action Plan requires $500 million per year for five years. You can download a copy of the Action Plan here.

The French lead the way on dementia  

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has set a global precedent for government action on dementia. In his keynote presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in France, in July, President Sarkozy spoke about the advances in dementia care, support and research in his country.

President Sarkozy has long been an advocate for increased funding for dementia. Since 2007, dementia has been a priority for France, and in 2008 the National Plan for Alzheimers and related diseases was released, which pledged over 1.6 billion Euros over 5 years. Read more about the French strategy to tackle dementia here.