In Tasmania, there are a range of services provided for dementia care. Considering there are just over half a million people on the island, the extent of services is high. This may be, in part, because of the age of the population. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013), the median age on the island is 40, as compared to 37 in Australia. The website, Dementiatas is well-known and utilized among the population of Tasmania. The site offers a wealth of information about dementia with particular relevance to family support. Complementary information is located on the government website. The University of Tasmania offers a Bachelor degree program in Dementia Care and houses the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre.
According to data from the 2011/2012 census, there are 86,000 residents of Tasmania who identify as having mental or behavioural issues. This includes, mood, anxiety and other non-identified behavioural issues. A demographic breakdown reveals that 28,500 are between the ages of 45-64 and 15,100 are aged 65 or over (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). This information does not explain the level of dementia care service provision in Tasmania.
In regards to the program, Living Longer, Living Stronger, the COTA Tasmania organization is listed as having implemented this program in the territory (Living Longer, Living Stronger, 2014). On the COTA Tasmania website, however, there is no mention of the program currently running (COTA Tasmania, 2014), as compared to other COTA websites that list the LLLS program.
Considering the population data available, it seems as though there are some positive developments in regards to addressing issues of dementia in Tasmania. The flagship program, Living Longer, Living Stronger, which is described as driven by evidence and proven to be positively impactful for those suffering from dementia, should be considered to be implemented again in Tasmania. Since the population of Tasmania is comparatively older to the national metrics, and that dementia is strongly correlated to advanced ageing, there is and will be an ongoing need to provide services to those who suffer from dementia and complementary support to the caregivers of these individuals.
Works Cited
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013. Census data. [online] Available at: http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/6?opendocument&navpos=220 [Accessed 30 December 2014].
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013. Australian Health Survey: First Results, 2011-12. [online] Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4364.0.55.0012011-12?OpenDocument [Accessed 30 December 2014].
Living Longer, Living Stronger (2014). About us. [online] Available at: http://www.lllswa.org.au/about/ [Accessed 30 December 2014].
COTA Tasmania (2014). Homepage. [online] Available at: http://www.cotatas.org.au/?s=living+longer [Accessed 30 December 2014].
