Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia (2016)

The national clinical practice guidelines for dementia summarise best quality evidence for health and aged care professionals.
These Australian Guidelines help us understand best practice for:

• dignity of care for people with dementia in community, residential and hospital settings.
• timely diagnosis;
• living well with dementia and delaying functional decline;
• best training for carers, and
• supporting families

The guidelines contain 109 recommendation that health and aged care staff should apply in their workplaces while also responding to the needs and preferences of the person with dementia and their carer(s) and family. Of these recommendations, 29 were evidence based recommendations, seven were classified as consensus based recommendations and 73 were practice points. 

The guidelines are the result of a long, detailed and careful process of evidence gathering and consultation. This activity was led by the Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre. A multidisciplinary guideline committee was established which included consumers and researchers from the DCRC.

The guidelines have been approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council.