ALZHEIMER S AUSTRALIA NSW NSW ELECTION MANIFESTO

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1 ALZHEIMER S AUSTRALIA NSW NSW ELECTION MANIFESTO MARCH, 2015 AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan

2 ALZHEIMER S AUSTRALIA NSW: Author: Brendan Moore General Manager - Policy, Research & Information Alzheimer s Australia NSW T: (02) E: brendan.moore@alzheimers.org.au The Hon. John Watkins Chief Executive Officer Alzheimer s Australia NSW T: (02) E: john.watkins@alzheimers.org.au ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Alzheimer s Australia respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land throughout Australia and their continuing connection to country. We pay respect to Elders both past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have made a contribution to our organisation. Alzheimer s Australia NSW PO Box 6042, North Ryde NSW 1670 Telephone: (02) Facsimile: (02) Website Dementia Helpline Copyright exists on this publication, Jan AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan 2015

3 WHO WE ARE: Alzheimer s Australia NSW is the peak body advocating for all people with dementia, their carers and families in NSW. We work to reduce the impact of dementia through policy, research, education and services such as counselling and the National Dementia Helpline. In NSW there are 112,000 people with dementia. This is expected to grow to more than 128,000 people by In the lead up to the State election in March 2015, Alzheimer s Australia NSW seeks the major political parties to commit to a range of initiatives that we believe will significantly enhance the quality of life of people living with dementia and their carers. Graph 1. Dementia is the 3rd leading cause of death in Australia (source: ABS, March AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan

4 WHAT WE SEEK: On behalf of all those living with dementia, their families and carers in NSW we seek the following: 1. A comprehensive, whole-of-government dementia strategy should be implemented across NSW. The strategy should encompass all relevant areas of NSW Government activity including transport, policing, housing and health. HEALTH AND HOSPITALS 2. Implement initiatives to support improved clinical practice in hospitals and community health services to benefit people with dementia. These include: Increase provision of dementia-specific education and training for all hospital staff, especially those in hospital Emergency Departments. Develop improved systems to support people with dementia and their carers during a hospital stay. Expand the hospital-based dementia volunteer model, established at Pambula Hospital, across NSW. Ensure a Dementia Clinical Nurse Consultant is employed in all Local Health Districts. 3. Adequately fund the provision of health-related transport to support people living with dementia to access health and medical-related appointments. 4. Appropriately fund local Aboriginal liaison workers in consultation with AlzNSW to provide risk reduction messages to the broader Aboriginal population (for Aboriginal communities, the prevalence rate for dementia is three times higher than for the Australian population. Age of onset of dementia for Aboriginal Australians is also earlier than the broader population). 5. Increase specialist palliative care for people with dementia through expanded palliative dementia care nurses to provide services in home, residential aged care and hospital. 6. Facilitate the widespread rollout of the Your Brain Matters program, Alzheimer s Australia s dementia risk reduction program, with attention initially going to rural populations, which have poorer health than the rest of Australia and higher rates of the risk factors for Alzheimer s disease e.g., Lower levels of education and higher levels of obesity, smoking, hypertension, drinking and diabetes. DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES 7. Provide financial support for Alzheimer s Australia NSW to work with Local Governments across NSW to integrate dementia-friendly community activities and built environments within their healthy ageing strategies, Disability Action Plans and Community Strategic Plans. 8. Ensure ongoing training of NSW public sector employees, particularly emergency services workers, to promote understanding of dementia across the community and in the workplace situations where they may encounter someone with dementia. 4 AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan 2015

5 DISABILITY & CARERS 9. Provide appropriate long-term care services to support people with younger onset dementia. Most residential aged care options are not appropriate for people under the age of 65, and other options are urgently needed to accommodate and support those with younger onset dementia (there are an estimated 8,000 people living with younger onset dementia in NSW). ROADS AND MARITIME SERVICES (RMS) 10. The RMS provide clear information about driving and dementia (for people with dementia, their families, occupational therapists and GPs) in a variety of forms and mediums, and develop a free standard driving assessment process for people diagnosed with dementia that is readily available through RMS / Services NSW shopfronts. This driver testing regime should accurately assess a person s cognitive capacity to drive. ATTORNEY GENERAL 11. Introduce a Public Advocate whose role includes the investigation of reports of abuse of older people in NSW. CAPITAL ITEMS / PROJECT FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING WORK OF ALZHEIMER S AUSTRALIA NSW To enable Alzheimer s Australia NSW to better serve the needs of people living with dementia and their families and carers, the following one-off funding options are presented: 1. Three-year funding to continue resourcing a Statewide Aboriginal Project Officer to support Aboriginal communities and mainstream services in providing culturally appropriate dementia care - $400k 2. The provision of a capital grant to design and build a dementia centre in Western Sydney which could serve as a best practice model for dementia friendly design, landscaping, interactive technology and provide a centre for services for Western Sydney - $2m 3. Replacement of Memory Van and fit out costs - $100k 4. Extended lease arrangements on the North Ryde premises of Alzheimer s Australia NSW. AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan

6 ESTIMATED DEMENTIA PREVALENCE IN NSW, 2014 STATE ELECTORAL DISTRICTS (SOURCE: DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS, AUGUST 2014) 6 AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan 2015

7 PROJECTED GROWTH OF DEMENTIA: STATE ELECTORAL DISTRICTS (SOURCE: DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS, AUGUST 2014) AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan

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12 CONTACT US OUR OFFICES ADMINISTRATION Alzheimer s Australia NSW Macquarie Hospital Campus Building 21, Gibson-Denney Centre 120 Cox s Road (Cnr. Norton Rd) North Ryde, NSW 2113 PO Box 6042 North Ryde, NSW 2113 T: F: E: NSW.Admin@alzheimers.org.au W: NORTHERN NSW Armidale: Hunter: Port Macquarie: Forster: Coffs Harbour: Central Coast # SYDNEY REGION North Ryde: St George/Sutherland: Blacktown*: NATIONAL DEMENTIA HELPLINE This is an initiative of the Australian Government SOUTHERN NSW Bega Shire: Eurobodalla Shire: Bateman s Bay: Cooma, Bombala & Snowy Mountains Shires: Yass, Young, Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Harden, Upper Lachlan and Palerang Shires: Moss Vale: Wagga Wagga: Wollongong*: WESTERN NSW Orange: * Younger Onset Dementia Key Worker Alzheimer s Australia NSW ABN Printed: January AlzNSW Election Manifesto Jan 2015