The Menzies Research Institute today announced a $1.5million funding grant from the JO & JR Wicking Trust, along with $1million additional funding from the University of Tasmania including the School of Nursing and the Menzies Research Institute as well as the State Government to establish a groundbreaking dementia research and education centre in Tasmania.

The Menzies Research Institute today announced a $1.5million funding grant from the JO & JR Wicking Trust, along with $1million additional funding from the University of Tasmania including the School of Nursing and the Menzies Research Institute as well as the State Government to establish a groundbreaking dementia research and education centre in Tasmania.

Professor James Vickers and Professor Andrew Robinson will be the joint Directors of the new Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre (WDREC).

Professor Vickers said in the very near future, nearly every Tasmanian family will be impacted by dementia and its consequences.

"This significant five year funding will provide the infrastructure to develop a coordinated and systematic approach to dementia research and education in the State," Prof. Vickers said.

"This initiative will span health and community services, clinical research as well as tackling education and workforce capacity.

"The centre will also bring together Australia's leading biomedical researchers focussed on determining new therapeutic strategies to treat ageing-related dementia."

Professor Vickers said dementia is an incurable ageing-related condition that will soon be the biggest single cause of disability in Tasmania.

"The Australian health cost burden of this condition in 2000-01 was over $2 billion.  As there are currently no drugs available which effectively treat any of the major causes of ageing-related dementia, treatment roles rely heavily on primary health care, community based care and resident and acute care services," he said.

"Access Economics estimates that more than 5,500 Tasmanians currently have dementia with this number more than doubling to 12,000 by 2030.

"As an example of this crisis, imagine the total population of Sorell being unable to function on a day-to-day basis without considerable support and assistance. 

"Tasmania has the oldest demographic of any state/territory in Australia, yet we are currently underprepared for managing the health, social and economic consequences of these demographic changes."

Prof. Robinson said that current research shows that caring for people with dementia places great strains on the related families, carers and associated health care providers.

"We are currently facing an urgent need to establish better ways of approaching and dealing with dementia care," Prof. Robinson said.

"In light of this need, the new centre will have a strong focus on training new graduates, including specialist training and an ambitious program of dementia-based graduate research."

The centre will be launched and begin operations in April 2008.

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