Aged Care Association To Address Urgent Dementia Care Crisis At Health Select Committee

Hon. Tracey Martin, Chief Executive of the Aged Care Association, will deliver an oral submission to the Health Select Committee tomorrow (Wednesday 11 September) as part of the Inquiry into the Aged Care Sector's Current and Future Capacity to Provide Support Services for People Experiencing Neurological Cognitive Disorders.

Dementia is now the second leading cause of death in New Zealand, with 100,000 New Zealanders projected to suffer from dementia within the next six years, rising to 170,000 by 2050.

The Aged Care Association is gravely concerned that the lack of recognition of this growing need means that tens of thousands of us stand to be failed by the health system.

Hon. Tracey Martin says "The risks of shortsighted system change to save money are huge. We will be sharing with the Select Committee not just our fears but also our solutions to ensure that New Zealanders with dementia, psychogeriatric needs, and other cognitive disorders are not failed by the health system."

The submission is scheduled to take place at 8:50 AM in Select Committee Room 1. The hearings begin at 8:00 AM.

Key details:

• Date: Wednesday 11 September
• Time: 8:50 AM
• Location: Select Committee Room 1, Parliament

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