Ep21 Dr Nikki-Ann Wilson

Dr. Nikki-Ann Wilson NeuRA Dementia Studies  - How worried should we be? What is Dementia & what can we do about it?  

39 % of recent survey respondents over the age of 55, stated that dementia was the condition they most feared falling vulnerable to. And your fears may just be understandable. Here are the recent statistics released by Dementia Australia

• Dementia is the second leading cause of death of Australians. And according to the World Health Organisation, is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally.

• Dementia is the leading cause of death for women

• As of 2023, there are over 400,000 Australians living with dementia.

To help us understand this complex condition, we’re joined by Dr. Nikki-Anne Wilson. Nikki is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cognitive Health and Dementia at Neuroscience Research Australia and an Adjunct Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales.

in 2021, Nikki completed her Ph.D. as part of the Frontier dementia research group at the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre and was awarded the Graduate Medal for Research Excellence. Her research examined the breakdown of cognition in behavioral variant frontal temporal dementia and how this relates to the social challenges associated with this form of dementia.

DISCUSSION

Q). We read that you have a lived experience of disability and caring roles which drive your passion for her research? Q) In layman’s terms…. what is dementia ? Q). Are these fears of developing dementia grounded? Q) what are the ‘different’ types & which are the most common Q) Are there known causes or is research still not definitive, Q) what's the difference between normal age-related memory loss and dementia Q) Are there ways to avoid these conditions: Q) at what point do we know that someone needs testing and help/support Q) how do family members can support those who have dementia when they are displaying particular behaviours Q) do females suffer from Dementia more than men (two times more likely than men why?) Q) What are we doing to treat Dementia and what are the breakthroughs in medical research