Dubbo Dementia carer Bruce McDermaid welcomes research funding

"There is a cure out there somewhere. Just because we haven't found it doesn't mean we should stop looking," he told the Daily Liberal.

"[Dementia] research is not only into cures and vaccines ... it's also into getting people who have the disease to cope better, and education programs to educate communities and even medical staff."

READ ALSO: Research to tackle why dementia is three to five times more likely in rural areas

Mr McDermaid's mother was diagnosed with dementia ten years ago and she died during the pandemic. Mr McDermaid's brother, Russell McDermaid, was diagnosed with early onset dementia five years ago at the age of 57.

Mr McDermaid welcomes new grant money from the Dementia Australia Research Foundation which will fund the next generation of dementia researchers.

The funding includes research projects that strive to enhance equal, compassionate and supportive care for people living with dementia and their families. There is also a fund to support a project aiming to improve the way research evidence is translated into clinical practice.

Dementia is the second leading cause of death in Australia and provisional data shows dementia will likely soon be the leading cause of death. In 2023, it is estimated there are more than 400,000 Australians living with dementia, and without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase to more than 800,000 by 2058.

Mr McDermaid said he hoped the Dementia Australia funding would go into research into new drugs, and also looking into older medications that could have an effect on brain functioning.

Mr McDermaid is keen to find out why people in regional and rural areas like Dubbo are three to five times more likely to develop dementia than their city-dwelling counterparts.

READ ALSO: 'Scared for the future': Dementia to grow 35% in Dubbo - what needs to be done?

He wants to see more training to improve doctors' awareness about treatments, especially for early-onset dementia - which is his personal passion.

Mr McDermaid's brother, Russell, is on "a few medications" that are slowing the progress of his disease - something that wouldn't have been possible without research.

"It would be great to have a tablet that takes it all away, but realistically, that's not going to happen for a while," Mr McDermaid said.

"So [I'd like to see] research into making life easier, but also for carers. Russell can live independently, but there are hundreds of thousands of Alzheimer's patients out there that rely on their spouses - and how can we make it easier for them?

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"I think people see research just as funding a new drug, but it's not. It can even look into, what's the best way to treat a person with dementia in a cafe or business - how can we make that better for the person with dementia and the business-owner?"

Chair of the Dementia Australia Research Foundation, Professor Graeme Samuel, said: "By supporting up-and-coming researchers, we will be able to target the brightest new minds whilst at a critical crossroads for choosing a research path.

"This means that we are not only supporting them to solve another piece of the dementia puzzle now, but hopefully cementing their career-long focus on dementia research."

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