Creativity and dementia – stories offering pathways forward. Image: Shutterstock.
It is Dementia Action Week (18-24 September). The most recent statistics show that more than 420,000 Australians are living with dementia, and it is now the leading cause of death for women. Without a medical breakthrough, that number is expected to double by 2058.
What is perhaps less discussed is the other snapshot. And that is, that nearly 29,000 younger people are living with early onset dementia – people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. This number is also is expected to double. This is not just a story for the aged.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
