Development of a Memory Clinic at an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service: Profile of the First Patients

Dementia is the leading cause of burden of disease in older Australians. Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. This article describes the clinical profile of the first patients seen at a memory clinic established in an Aboriginal community-controlled health service (ACCHS) in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.

This was an audit of 64 patients attending a memory clinic between March 2020 and February 2023 (inclusive).

The median age of patients was 67.7 years (range 35-95 years; interquartile range [IQR] 13.4 years) and 34 (53%) were female. The majority (94%) were living independently. Thirty-four patients (53%; 95% confidence interval 41%-65%) were diagnosed with cognitive impairment. A further six (9%) were diagnosed with depression without cognitive impairment. The most common diagnoses in cognitively impaired patients were cognitive impairment not dementia (CIND; 27%); mild neurocognitive disorder (21%); dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (15%); Alzheimer's disease dementia, mixed type (9%); and other mixed dementias (9%). Women were slightly more likely than men to have cognitive impairment (56% vs. 52%), although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.74). The number of Aboriginal people seen in the clinic's first 3 years of operation was over 12 times that seen at a nearby hospital-based service during the same period.

A memory clinic located within an ACCHS was well-attended and fulfilled a need not met by mainstream services. The successful model described in this article could be adopted by other Aboriginal health services.