The Ambassador for Alzheimer's Australia, Ita Buttrose, says many pensioners who have Alzheimer's disease are, in her words, "pretty well stuffed" -- in other words, in a dire situation.
Ms Buttrose says high quality care is only available to those who can afford it.
Alzheimer's Australia estimates that by 2060, the cost of dementia associated diseases, like Alzheimer's, will cost 83 billion dollars and will represent around 11 per cent of health and residential aged care sector spending.
Ms Buttrose says dementia sufferers are some of the loneliest people in Australia because too often people assume little can be done for them.
She says it's a fact Australia's politicians should keep in mind when making decisions on how to tackle the dementia challenge.
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