In 2021 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimated that over 28,000 Australians are living with young onset dementia. This number is expected to double by 2050. Yet the supports and services these people need are rare to non-existent.
Joint Solutions is an Australian Department of Social Services (DSS) funded project. It will map the services required by people living with young onset dementia (YOD) and their families from diagnosis to end of life care, and identify the programs best placed to provide support. The project will run until April 2025.
Project Consortium
Convened by the Alliance, a consortium of leading dementia organisations including the Young Onset Dementia – Special Interest Group (YOD-SIG), Eastern Cognitive Disorders Clinic (ECDC), and Dementia Australia (DA) will oversee the project’s research with:
people living with young onset dementia and their families
clinicians and specialist service providers
consumers and industry.
Consultation will include small group discussions, a national survey and a series of roundtables involving:
people living with young onset dementia and their families
government funded programs (including the NDIS and health)
service providers
First Nations representatives
culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) organisations
advocacy organisations and workers delivering direct support.
Project outcomes
The project will focus on systems responses for people with young onset dementia and their families and will identify where services need to be developed across the disease course as part of an integrated system of care.
