Mapping hotspots of self-reported dementia and memory clinics across Australia

BackgroundDementia prevalence is increasing in Australia. It is unknown whether there are hotspots for dementia in metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas. This knowledge is important for healthcare planning.ObjectiveThis paper will examine where hotspots for self-reported dementia in Australia are, and whether they are adequately serviced by multidisciplinary memory clinics.MethodsWe used self-reported dementia data from the 2021 Australian Census at the local government area (LGA) level. LGAs represent public administrative regions within Australian states and territories. Standardized prevalence ratios (SPR) were calculated for each LGA by dividing the number of self-reported cases by the expected number of cases. Spatial relationships were investigated with Bayesian spatial regression using integrated nested Laplace approximations. Memory clinics were located using Australian Dementia Network and government websites.ResultsSelf-reported dementia prevalence was lower in metropolitan areas (72.3 per 10,000) compared to non-metropolitan areas (79.9 per 10,000). There are 108 multidisciplinary memory clinics in Australia, 83 of which are metropolitan. Hotspots for self-reported dementia occurred in non-metropolitan east coast of New South Wales (SPR: 2.13), southeast Queensland (SPR: 1.72), and northwest of greater city Adelaide (SPR: 2.55). LGAs in major cities had lower SPRs (Melbourne: 0.40; Sydney: 0.45), apart from Western Adelaide (SPR: 1.88).ConclusionsHotspots for self-reported dementia were mainly in non-metropolitan Australia, whereas memory clinic services were mostly in metropolitan areas, raising issues of equity and access to services.