‘Never give up': Pathologist studying cancer highlighted for own battle with disease
'One of the best Australians amongst us is Professor Richard Scolyer … is a man who has been absolutely at the front of trying to come up with that dream of not just cancer treatment but maybe, just maybe finding a way for us to be able to get over very significant cancers,' Mr Murray said.
'One of the greatest minds fighting cancer ended up with cancer, then as a result of his own insight and his own special treatments we learnt the cancer was in remission, which is unbelievable, right? And then towards the start of this year, we heard again Richard Scolyer was dealing with another bout.'
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Perth Now
40 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Tackling dementia: New approach urged
Urgent action is needed to fight the 'darkness' of dementia, as the deadly condition threatens to affect 850,000 Australians by 2058, a leading brain researcher has said. Dementia is estimated to cost Australia's economy $18bn each year, a figure that will more than double to $37bn in 25 years. But Professor Henry Brodaty spoke to the National Press Club on Wednesday about the need for a new approach to tackling brain health. He said tackling the syndrome would increase productivity in Australia, and delaying the effects of it would allow people to work longer, especially as the workforce ages. A new approach was needed with increased investment to become a world leader in preventing or delaying dementia onset, he said. Professor Brodaty said Australia needs the 'slip, slop, slap' of brain health. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'Think about the slip, slop, slap for skin health,' he said. 'We need the slip, slop, slap of brain health, now. 'Funding for dementia has lagged behind cancer and heart disease, even though it contributes more to disease burden. 'Research is critical to find the best ways to provide services efficiently.' He said dementia develops in Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders at 2-5 times the rate of the rest of the population, and suggested steps to counter this. 'Better care before, during and after pregnancy, and in early childhood, and particularly more education, could make a difference to this,' he said. Professor Brodaty said personalised coaching programs improved brain cognition, and increased people's fitness — pushing back the onset of dementia by a year or more. He said this could save Australia billions. Professor Brodaty said Australia's dementia research is underfunded. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'Imagine what the return on investment would be if Australia did this?' he asked. 'Improving fitness, not only would improve cognition, it would improve fitness, physical, mental and social health.' But Professor Brodaty said Australia's National Dementia Action Plan has only $166m in funding, 'too little for what Australia needs'. 'I sympathise with the government, because there's always competing priorities and there's always other things that can be funded,' he said. 'But, when it makes sense economically, as well as personally to people, then why not do it?'
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
How tackling dementia can help solve productivity woes
Dementia should be treated as an economic crisis as well as a health issue, a leading scientist has urged. In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, brain researcher Henry Brodaty made the financial case for research into dementia. He said federal government funding to a program aimed at slowing dementia progression would lead to a boost in productivity. "It's time for a national movement for brain health, backed by research, scaled with urgency, and funded to save lives and money," Professor Brodaty said. "We don't have a magic doorway out of this crisis, but we do have prevention." His call comes after a dementia prevention trial led by the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing, where Prof Brodaty is a co-director, found personalised coaching in areas such as physical activity and nutrition pushed back the onset of dementia by more than a year. He said the scheme would save billions of dollars in treatment and care costs. Prof Brodaty said 430,000 Australians live with dementia, which costs the economy about $3.7 billion each year. With more older Australians in the workforce, supporting cognitive health is a "smart economic strategy", he said. The researcher also called for the government to adopt a national dementia risk reduction program. "We are at a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," Prof Brodaty said. "Over four decades, we've moved from hopelessness to hope, from stigma to science." Carers also sacrifice their jobs to manage their dementia patients, compounding productivity losses, he said. Prof Brodaty said by keeping carers in the workplace by alleviating the treatment of patients would benefit the economy. The federal government launched a national dementia action plan in 2024 providing eight recommendations based on findings from the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing. The recommendations include improving dementia treatment and diagnosis, supporting carers and tackling stigma. Dementia should be treated as an economic crisis as well as a health issue, a leading scientist has urged. In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, brain researcher Henry Brodaty made the financial case for research into dementia. He said federal government funding to a program aimed at slowing dementia progression would lead to a boost in productivity. "It's time for a national movement for brain health, backed by research, scaled with urgency, and funded to save lives and money," Professor Brodaty said. "We don't have a magic doorway out of this crisis, but we do have prevention." His call comes after a dementia prevention trial led by the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing, where Prof Brodaty is a co-director, found personalised coaching in areas such as physical activity and nutrition pushed back the onset of dementia by more than a year. He said the scheme would save billions of dollars in treatment and care costs. Prof Brodaty said 430,000 Australians live with dementia, which costs the economy about $3.7 billion each year. With more older Australians in the workforce, supporting cognitive health is a "smart economic strategy", he said. The researcher also called for the government to adopt a national dementia risk reduction program. "We are at a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," Prof Brodaty said. "Over four decades, we've moved from hopelessness to hope, from stigma to science." Carers also sacrifice their jobs to manage their dementia patients, compounding productivity losses, he said. Prof Brodaty said by keeping carers in the workplace by alleviating the treatment of patients would benefit the economy. The federal government launched a national dementia action plan in 2024 providing eight recommendations based on findings from the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing. The recommendations include improving dementia treatment and diagnosis, supporting carers and tackling stigma. Dementia should be treated as an economic crisis as well as a health issue, a leading scientist has urged. In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, brain researcher Henry Brodaty made the financial case for research into dementia. He said federal government funding to a program aimed at slowing dementia progression would lead to a boost in productivity. "It's time for a national movement for brain health, backed by research, scaled with urgency, and funded to save lives and money," Professor Brodaty said. "We don't have a magic doorway out of this crisis, but we do have prevention." His call comes after a dementia prevention trial led by the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing, where Prof Brodaty is a co-director, found personalised coaching in areas such as physical activity and nutrition pushed back the onset of dementia by more than a year. He said the scheme would save billions of dollars in treatment and care costs. Prof Brodaty said 430,000 Australians live with dementia, which costs the economy about $3.7 billion each year. With more older Australians in the workforce, supporting cognitive health is a "smart economic strategy", he said. The researcher also called for the government to adopt a national dementia risk reduction program. "We are at a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," Prof Brodaty said. "Over four decades, we've moved from hopelessness to hope, from stigma to science." Carers also sacrifice their jobs to manage their dementia patients, compounding productivity losses, he said. Prof Brodaty said by keeping carers in the workplace by alleviating the treatment of patients would benefit the economy. The federal government launched a national dementia action plan in 2024 providing eight recommendations based on findings from the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing. The recommendations include improving dementia treatment and diagnosis, supporting carers and tackling stigma. Dementia should be treated as an economic crisis as well as a health issue, a leading scientist has urged. In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, brain researcher Henry Brodaty made the financial case for research into dementia. He said federal government funding to a program aimed at slowing dementia progression would lead to a boost in productivity. "It's time for a national movement for brain health, backed by research, scaled with urgency, and funded to save lives and money," Professor Brodaty said. "We don't have a magic doorway out of this crisis, but we do have prevention." His call comes after a dementia prevention trial led by the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing, where Prof Brodaty is a co-director, found personalised coaching in areas such as physical activity and nutrition pushed back the onset of dementia by more than a year. He said the scheme would save billions of dollars in treatment and care costs. Prof Brodaty said 430,000 Australians live with dementia, which costs the economy about $3.7 billion each year. With more older Australians in the workforce, supporting cognitive health is a "smart economic strategy", he said. The researcher also called for the government to adopt a national dementia risk reduction program. "We are at a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," Prof Brodaty said. "Over four decades, we've moved from hopelessness to hope, from stigma to science." Carers also sacrifice their jobs to manage their dementia patients, compounding productivity losses, he said. Prof Brodaty said by keeping carers in the workplace by alleviating the treatment of patients would benefit the economy. The federal government launched a national dementia action plan in 2024 providing eight recommendations based on findings from the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing. The recommendations include improving dementia treatment and diagnosis, supporting carers and tackling stigma.
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
How tackling dementia can help solve productivity woes
Dementia should be treated as an economic crisis as well as a health issue, a leading scientist has urged. In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, brain researcher Henry Brodaty made the financial case for research into dementia. He said federal government funding to a program aimed at slowing dementia progression would lead to a boost in productivity. "It's time for a national movement for brain health, backed by research, scaled with urgency, and funded to save lives and money," Professor Brodaty said. "We don't have a magic doorway out of this crisis, but we do have prevention." His call comes after a dementia prevention trial led by the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing, where Prof Brodaty is a co-director, found personalised coaching in areas such as physical activity and nutrition pushed back the onset of dementia by more than a year. He said the scheme would save billions of dollars in treatment and care costs. Prof Brodaty said 430,000 Australians live with dementia, which costs the economy about $3.7 billion each year. With more older Australians in the workforce, supporting cognitive health is a "smart economic strategy", he said. The researcher also called for the government to adopt a national dementia risk reduction program. "We are at a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," Prof Brodaty said. "Over four decades, we've moved from hopelessness to hope, from stigma to science." Carers also sacrifice their jobs to manage their dementia patients, compounding productivity losses, he said. Prof Brodaty said by keeping carers in the workplace by alleviating the treatment of patients would benefit the economy. The federal government launched a national dementia action plan in 2024 providing eight recommendations based on findings from the Centre of Healthy Brain Ageing. The recommendations include improving dementia treatment and diagnosis, supporting carers and tackling stigma.
