A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed dementia as the new leading burden of disease in Australians aged 65 and over, surpassing coronary heart disease.

Dementia Australia Honorary Medical Advisor and director of aged care research at Austin Hospital in Melbourne, Associate Professor Michael Woodward, says a reduction of suffering in dementia patients is the next step.

“It’s disturbing that it’s overtaken cardiovascular disease in Australia, it’s something we must address,” Professor Woodward told Millsy and Karl.

“We can probably reduce our risk of dementia by about 40% if we paid more attention to our lifestyle.”

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