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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Contents Vol 31(2)

Exploring dementia service gaps and barriers in the Australian Capital Territory: a qualitative study

Nathan M. D’Cunha https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4616-9931 A B * , Georgina Chelberg A , Ian Huang B , Hossein Tabatabaei-Jafari https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4871-1226 C , Nasser Bagheri C , Kasia Bail A D , Diane Gibson A , Stephen Isbel A B , Lara Wiseman A , Poulomi Chowdhury A , Mary Anne Furst C , Perminder S. Sachdev E Luis Salvador-Carulla C F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Ageing Research and Translation, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.

B School of Rehabilitation and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.

C Mental Health Policy Unit, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.

D School of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.

E Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

F Menzies Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

* Correspondence to: nathan.dcunha@canberra.edu.au

Australian Journal of Primary Health 31, PY24174 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY24174
Submitted: 15 October 2024  Accepted: 19 February 2025  Published: 3 March 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

In recent years, there has been increased recognition of the importance of unmet needs of services for people with dementia regionally and nationally. This study aimed to explore the service gaps described by health and aged care providers in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to inform decisions regarding dementia care services.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 health and aged care service providers, managers, and stakeholders providing dementia services in the ACT in 2022 and 2023. Responses to two open-ended questions regarding the perception of service gaps in the region were examined using content analysis.

Results

Six themes were identified across the interviews: (1) concerns with existing dementia care services; (2) concerns with primary care; (3) a lack of dementia-appropriate services; (4) workforce shortages and limited training; (5) funding as a barrier to access and collaboration between services; and (6) lack of understanding of dementia. Several participants felt these issues were not unique to the ACT and indicative of systemic issues common across Australia.

Conclusions

The service gaps described in the ACT region indicate a need for improved access to high-quality, coordinated, dementia-specific services with appropriate staffing, potentially reducing pressure on the ACT health system and current and future associated costs.

Keywords: aged care, Australian Capital Territory, dementia, education, general practitioners, health services, service providers, workforce.

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