Dementia, the leading cause of death for Australian women

Dementia is now the leading cause of death for Australian women, and the second leading cause overall, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Dementia currently affects nearly half a million Australians, and by 2058, that number is expected to more than double.

Behind every number is a person, with a life story, routines, preferences, and patterns that still matter.

Beyond the numbers

We absolutely need more research into prevention, and better clinical interventions. But when dementia touches so many lives, we also need to ask, are we doing enough to preserve the person behind every patient?

Their identity. Their dignity. Their sense of self.

Because prevention matters. But so does the quality of life for every person who is already living with dementia, and every family walking the journey with them.

The hidden gaps

For people with intellectual disability, dementia is often under recognised and under supported. As dementia becomes the leading cause of death for women in Australia, we must ensure the disability sector is not left behind in the national response.

Technology’s role

Technology alone will not deliver better care. But technology that listens, adapts, and respects the person behind the behaviour? That might just be the shift we need.

This shows us that context is important. It is not always about building smarter, more complex systems. It is about building systems that understand what really matters, even if it means answering what might sound like a simple question.

A national challenge, a personal question

The leading cause of death for Australian women isn’t heart disease or cancer. It’s dementia.

That reality should force us to look in two directions at once. Toward science and research, to find better treatments and ways to prevent the disease. And toward care, to ask if we are doing enough to preserve what makes someone who they are.

Because while we wait for new discoveries, there are people living with dementia today who need more than a diagnosis. They need care that preserves their story, their dignity, and their humanity.