DEMENTIA ON THE RISE 'WE NEED A CURE'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO START TRAINING YOUR BRAIN ... NOW!

- April Rose

Australia is in the midst of a devastating dementia crisis and it's only going to get worse, warns a top Sydney neurologist.

The advances of modern medicine have contributed to an aging population Down Under, meaning the rate of dementia-related diseases including Alzheimer's has climbed rapidly in recent years.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, dementia has now overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of burden of disease the impact of living with and dying prematurely from a disease in elderly Aussies.

Professor Matthew Kiernan, neurologist and president of the Brain Foundation in Sydney, says the alarming statistics sadly come as no surprise to those who are involved in dementia research.

"Because we've got an aging population, it's going to become far more prevalent," Professor Kiernan explains.

"With conditions like heart disease or a stroke, there are preventative measures like exercise or monitoring your blood pressure, but dementia encompasses of conditions and it can a whole suite be hard to know why or how to prevent it."

Among Australians aged 65 and older, demential - an umbrella term for a range of brain disorders - is responsible for about 230,000 healthy years lost.