New statistics reveal many people living with dementia experience social isolation.

Dementia doesn’t discriminate.

Anyone can develop dementia. Dementia doesn’t discriminate, but we can change how we respond to and behave around people living with dementia. To understand more, we’ve put together a list of our favourite resources.

Understand more. Know the facts.

Every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia. Dementia has become the leading cause of death among Australian women, and remains the second leading cause of death across all Australians. Find more facts and statistics on our web pages.

In a 2016 study conducted by Dementia Australia, people with dementia were shown to commonly experience social isolation, which can put them at risk of becoming lonely. Chronic loneliness can lead to poor mental and physical health.

People with dementia are:

* More than two times more likely not to see friends compared to their carers and the general public

* More than three times as likely not to have a friend to confide in compared to their carers and the general public

* Almost three times as likely not to have a friend to call on for help compared to the general public

This research sparked calls for greater awareness and understanding of dementia by the general public, so people living with the condition feel less isolated and alone. Some of this isolation can be as a result of discrimination - not out of deliberate neglect, but possibly out of not knowing how to include them.

By understanding more, you can develop strategies to help people living with dementia engage and maintain relationships, and begin to reduce the discrimination they experience.

More Info At | dementia.org.au/dementia-action-week/understand-more

Video By | Mia Tyquin