NNIDR Lecture Tour with Professor Henry Brodaty

NNIDR Lecture Tour with Professor Henry Brodaty
NNIDR Lecture Tour with Professor Henry Brodaty

The NHMRC National Institute of Dementia Research (NNIDR) launched their national public lecture tour at the Art Gallery of NSW on Wednesday 15 March, featuring two of the world’s leading names in dementia research – CEO and President of Alzheimer’s Association USA, Harry Johns and CHeBA’s Co-Director and 2016 Ryman Prize winner, Professor Henry Brodaty AO.

Director of NNIDR, Ms Janice Besch, opened the first lecture of the tour as part of the Australian Government’s Boosting Dementia Research initiative, which will see further talks around the country throughout March and April.

Professor Henry Brodaty said there are currently 413,000 people living with dementia in Australia today, which is set to increase to 536,000 people by 2025 and a staggering 1.1 million people by 2056.  He said that the recent estimates suggest the cost of dementia globally is US$818 billion and that in Australia alone the estimated cost in 2017 will be $14 billion.

With dementia now the second leading cause of death in Australia and with over 25% of the population set to be aged 65+ by 2050, Professor Brodaty stressed the need to target early life to reduce risk of dementia.  He also stressed the potential of implementing internet based interventions - such as CHeBA’s Maintain Your Brain study - to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. 

He said that despite the projections there is enormous hope through research and his intention was to use this tour to share his knowledge. 

CEO of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW, the Hon. John Watkins, acknowledged Professor Brodaty as the organisation’s founding father and said that “without him we would not be where we are.”

Hon. Watkins said that behind each of the statistics outlined by Professor Brodaty are lives that are upended and relationships breached. 

“Reducing its impact is a social justice and human rights issue and an unavoidable responsibility for government,” he said. 

In Sydney Professor Brodaty was joined by Mr Harry Johns, CEO and President of Alzheimer’s Association USA and a world leader in dementia advocacy. 

He said that the Alzheimer’s Association had driven the public discussion of Alzheimer’s disease in the USA to unprecedented levels and he called upon everyone to change the course of the disease by talking about it.

Mr Johns said that dementia costs in the USA by mid-century were set to be $1.1 trillion in a single year; double what the country’s defence budget is today. 

He described his approach to the US government to successfully increase research funding in 2016 as a “relentless pursuit”. 

The NNIDR public lecture tour, supported by Alzheimer’s Australia, is part of Brain Awareness Week (March 13-19).  Mr Harry Johns’ visit to Australia is supported by the J.O. and J.R. Wicking Trust and Professor Henry Brodaty’s national tour is supported by the NNIDR. 

Registration for these free events is essential. 

For more information and to register, please visit:
https://www.nnidr.gov.au/research-and-activities/nnidrpubliclecturetour2017
2017 NNIDR Public Lecture Tour Schedule

 

 

Click the links below to register

Mon 20 March 

Henry Brodaty 

Brisbane (link is external)

Tues 28 March 

Henry Brodaty 

Melbourne (link is external)

Fri 31 March 

Henry Brodaty 

Hobart (link is external)

Mon 3 April 

Henry Brodaty 

Darwin (link is external)

Tues 11 April 

Henry Brodaty 

Perth (Register your interest)

Wed 12 April 

Henry Brodaty 

Adelaide (Register your interest)

 

Pictured: Professor Henry Brodaty, Janice Besch, Harry Johns

Communications Contact

Communications contact: Heidi Douglass, Communications and Projects OffierHeidi Douglass
Team Lead – Innovations & Communications
T 0435 579 202
E h.douglass@unsw.edu.au