Dementia is a general term for a collection of symptoms caused by disorders or diseases that affect the brain.
Common symptoms are progression and frequent memory loss, confusion, personality change, apathy, withdrawal and the loss of ability to perform everyday tasks.
Vincent Poisson Program Manager at Rural Services of Alzheimer's Australia says short term memory loss is often a first sign.
Vincent Poisson says short term memory loss also impacts on the patients day-to-day living.
Kasia Bergner works as a Community Carer for Focus Care Solutions, which provides services to welfare organisations such as Jewish Care, Benevolent, Anglicare and Catholicare.
She says some patients lose the ability to carry out simple daily tasks.
Alzheimers Australia says its critical to visit a doctor to get a diagnosis early.
Yet their research reveals people from diverse communities are diagnosed later than the rest of the population.
Some patients from diverse backgrounds may be unwilling to discuss the illness in fear that they will be labelled as crazy.
When a patient needs intensive care, migrant families are often faced with the difficult decision of finding residential care.
Alzheimers Australias 2008 report says the perception that most patients from diverse backgrounds are cared for by family members isnt true.
Family counsellor Vincent Poisson says hes seen migrant families pressured to act as carers.
Vincent Poisson says language is another barrier for those living with dementia.
Alzheimers Australia 2008 report found that patients prefer to be informed about their illness in their native language.
Written information in English is often too complex.
Dementia researcher at UTS Professor of Palliative Medicine Meera Agar says many factors go into a care plan. She says its essential to know a patients long term wishes.
Professor Agars research led to the development of the national guidelines for dementia services.
Recommendations include that bilingual staff or professional interpreters are provided especially during care assessment.
She says health professionals should ask about the wishes of the patient, not the patients family or carers.
Alzheimers Australia provides dementia information in 43 languages on their website www.fightdementia.org.au .
Counselling support services is available on the National Dementia Helpline by calling 1800 100 500.
If you need an interpreter you can contact the National Dementia Helpline through the Telephone Interpreting Service on 131 450.
