Dementia Australia has welcomed the announcement that leading dementia advocate, Kate Swaffer, CEO Dementia Alliance International, has been included in the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence list for 2018.
Dementia Australia CEO, Maree McCabe said Kate’s inclusion in this group recognises her amazing work on behalf of the more than 425,000 Australians living with dementia.
"Kate is a humanitarian and activist for people with dementia, and a widely published academic, author and poet," Ms McCabe said.
"Her national and international contribution to dementia awareness and human rights of people living with dementia is highly valued, so too is Kate’s work in advocating for what is important to people impacted by dementia.
"Kate’s advocacy plays a very important role in helping shift perceptions of dementia in the community and in our ability to influence change in the way we support people living with dementia."
There are more than 100 types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.
Dementia is the leading cause of death among Australian women and the second leading cause of death for Australians overall.
"In 2018 the economic cost of dementia for all Australians is almost $15 billion dollars and as the prevalence increases so too will the costs, with projections estimating almost $37 billion dollars by 2056," Ms McCabe said. "Tackling dementia now will save dollars in health and aged care for many years to come and most importantly will improve the health, lifestyle and care outcomes for people, of all ages, living with all forms of dementia, their families and carers.
"Dementia Australia congratulates Kate for being recognised as a woman of influence in Australia and we thank her again for the outstanding commitment she continues to show in raising awareness about dementia."
Dementia Australia is the national peak body and charity for people, of all ages, living with all forms of dementia, their families and carers. It provides advocacy, support services, education and information. An estimated 425,000 people have dementia in Australia. This number is projected to reach more than 1.1 million by 2056. Dementia Australia is the new voice of Alzheimer’s Australia. Dementia Australia’s services are supported by the Australian Government.
When talking or writing about dementia please refer to Dementia Language Guidelines.
