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overview
Returning for the 17th year, the National Dementia Conference 2026 will continue to bring together many leading experts, people with lived experiences, carers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers to share insights and shape the future of dementia care, diagnosis and treatment.
Like the previous years, this event will continue to provide a unique opportunity to discuss best-practice strategies, challenges and initiatives for improving quality person-centered care for people living with dementia and their carers.
The event is a platform to exchange information, share knowledge, create relationships, and develop a common commitment to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.
KEY TOPICS INCLUDE
- Latest Emerging Trends in Dementia Research
- Dementia Diagnosis and Early Intervention Strategies
- Innovations in Dementia Care and Support
- Person-Centered Approaches in Dementia Care
- Building Dementia-Friendly Communities
- Assistive Devices and Digital Solutions
- Dementia Caregiver Support and Resilience
- Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions in Dementia
- Addressing Depression, Anxiety, and Behavioral Symptoms
- Legal and Ethical Issues in Dementia Care and Decision-Making
- Cultural and Diversity Perspectives in Dementia Care
- Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Dementia Prevention and Management
- Managing Multiple Health Conditions
- Dementia in Indigenous Communities
- Policy and Advocacy for Dementia Awareness and Support
- Community Engagement and Education Initiatives
- How to Integrate Palliative Care with Dementia Care
Co-located with:
💡 Aged Care Reform Forum
One pass gives you access to two conferences!
You will have the flexibility to pick and choose your preferred sessions and tailor your experience to your needs. You’ll also have access to shared networking opportunities and the exhibition space, allowing you to connect with professionals from both the dementia and aged care sectors.
2025 Speakers
Dr Rutger de Graaf
Health Care Innovator, Zorggroep Zaanstreek Netherlands
Jane Verity
Founder & CEO, Dementia Care International, Melbourne Australia
Mischeal McCormick
Owner Operator & Spark of Life Master Practitioner, Adriel House & Rest Home, Amberley, New Zealand
Tania Hammond
Nurse Practitioner & Spark of Life Master Practitioner, Eyre & Far North Local Health Network, Rural & Remote Health, South Australia
Cathy Roth OAM
National Chairman, PALZ – Professionals with Alzheimer’s & related diseases
Professor Tanya Buchanan
Chief Executive Officer, Dementia Australia
Dr Joanna Sun
Lecturer & Environmental Gerontologist, Wicking Dementia Research & Education Centre, University of Tasmania
Catherine Devanny
Allied Health Research Project Coordinator, National Centre for Healthy Ageing
Isabelle Meyer
Executive Director, Dementia Training Australia
Loren deVries
Senior Practitioner, Behaviour Support and Restrictive Practice Unit, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Dr Stephanie Daly
GP & Founder, Sensus Cognition
Jamie Lalwet
Community Social Worker, Australian-Filipino Community Services
Janine Grossman
Director of Professional Services, Montefiore
Francesca Glamorgan
Dementia Services Manager, Montefiore
Amy Sender
Dementia Consultant, Montefiore
Dr Medha Gunawardana (PhD)
Manager - Community Strengthening, Australian Multicultural Community Services
Prof Michael Valenzuela
Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Skin2Neuron
Dr Helena Popovic
GP & Best-Selling Author, ‘In Search of My Father’ and ‘Can Adventure Prevent Dementia?’
Matthew Martin
Head of Business Strategy, Southern Cross Care Queensland
Dora Mansbridge
Manager of Social Support Programs – Treehouse & Treehouse4two, Central Highlands Rural Health
Paula Weekley
Treehouse4Two Retreat Coordinator, Central Highlands Rural Health
Mel White
Quality Director, Bupa Villages and Aged Care – Australia
Natalie Siegel-Brown
Inspector-General of Aged Care, Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care
Faye Spiteri OAM
Chief Executive Office, Fronditha Care
Nigel McPaul
General Manager – Monitoring, Evaluation, and Development, Dementia Australia
Sarah Yeates
Chief Executive Officer, Caladenia Dementia Care
Associate Professor Anita Goh
Clinical Neuropsychologist & Director of Aged Care and Social Gerontology, National Ageing Research Institute
Lindsay Bent
Clinical Lead, Communications Centres / Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic, Ambulance Victoria
Dilnaz Billimoria
Consumer Advisory & Diversity Equity Inclusion Committees, Eastern Health
Abiola Akinbiyi
NE Director, NWMPHN & Chairperson, Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria
Dasha Riley
District Clinical Nurse Consultant Dementia & Delirium, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
Mick Simpson
Business Owner & Living with dementia
Jen Savage
Chief Executive Officer, Kyabram Community and Learning Centre
Associate Professor Frances Batchelor
Director Clinical Gerontology, National Ageing Research Institute
Emma Gierschick OAM
Dr Sadie Dunn
Deputy Director of Palliative Care, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Craig Macdonald
Lived experience
Emily Harper
First Assistant Secretary, Market and Workforce Division, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Pricing
Aged Care Reform Forum
New in 2025 – Aged Care Reform Forum
Running concurrently with the National Dementia Conference at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne, the Aged Care Reform Forum will provide an opportunity for discussion, sharing of best practice and networking between stakeholders.
Topics to be Addressed Include:
- Workforce: recruitment and care minute requirements
- Transition of timeframes and overcoming strain
- Government funding and capabilities
- Organisational funding and priorities within
- The reform journey
- Case studies
- Support for smaller, medium, and larger providers
- Rural, regional, and remote providers
- Innovative ways to overcome increasing costs for delivering services
- Money, margins, and growth areas
- Investing in technology
- Sustainability and quality of care
Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities
There are many opportunities for networking including social events such as networking drinks, refreshment breaks and lunches, making this not just a conference… but an all-encompassing industry “experience”.
Event sponsorship or exhibiting will allow your organisation to:
- Build relationships with potential and existing clients
- Generate leads from a high-level, targeted audience
- Close sales in a more personal manner than via phone
- Demonstrate your product in person
- Network with the industry
- Build brand awareness
To see what is on offer please contact:
Lily Doherty
Sponsorship Manager
E: [email protected]
T: +61 (2) 9080 4340
2025 Testimonials
“This was a great opportunity for experts, professionals, and people with lived experience to come together. There were many learnings and innovative ideas to bridge gaps in dementia care. I highly recommend attending this conference to anyone passionate in this space.”
2025 Delegate
“The National Dementia & Aged Care Reform 2025 conference in Melbourne was avital event. It connected like-minded individuals dedicated to delivering excellence in aged care and driving crucial reforms.”
2025 Delegate
“My colleague and I enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to quality speakers as well as access to an excellent trade display. We have returned to our facility confident in what we are doing but with new ideas and resources in mind for continuous improvement opportunities.”
2025 Sponsor
Insights
How to manage Down syndrome and dementia
People with Down syndrome are living longer, healthier lives. Since the 1940s, life expectancy for people with this chromosomal condition has increased fivefold from just 12 to 60 years; and today, babies born with Down syndrome may live up to 80. Read more >>
Why Australia needs dementia friendly ambulances
Transport by ambulance can be a distressing experience for people with dementia. Noisy, enclosed, and unfamiliar, the environment can exacerbate symptoms, destabilise a person’s psychological health and, in severe cases, cause delirium. Read more >>
Beyond the amyloid hypothesis – how small molecules are giving hope to Alzheimer’s research
Ever since it was discovered in 1906, scientists have been rushing to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease – a form of dementia that affects 1 in 10 Australians aged over 65. Read more >>
How to manage incontinence in dementia
Incontinence is one of the most common health complaints among people living with dementia, affecting around one third of sufferers.
Read more >>
Thriving with dementia – how this man reinvented himself after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Read more >>
How to better care for people living with dementia
Read more >>
Should you keep someone living with Dementia in an aged care facility during a pandemic?
Read more >>
Australian Journal of Dementia Care complimentary issue for delegates
Read more >>
Craig Gear OAM: “The New Human Rights-Based Aged Care Act Will Form the Bedrock of Change.”
The aged care sector is built for older people, so it should proactively take its direction from them. As my fellow panel members continue to tell me: “Nothing about us…without us!” Read more >>
The more we talk about the importance of quality aged care, the better
Read more >>
Co-design and person-centred care keep me, as a clinician researcher, accountable to those I am to serve
Read more >>
2020 Dementia Learning Guide
Read more >>
What does dementia feel like?
In Australia 342,000 people are living with Dementia – a pervasive collection of symptoms including memory loss, confusion and apathy. Read more >>
A new therapeutic for Alzheimer’s is imminent – what is it and what will it mean?
An ageing population could see global cases of dementia and its major form Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) almost double every twenty years. Read more >>
Event Highlights
ConnectMe + Streamly
ConnectMe • Networking enhanced
All of our events utilise a bespoke dynamic smartphone app, ConnectMe – which guarantees attendees a premium event experience. Logins are sent prior to the conference commencement allowing you to check who’s attending, schedule in meetings and catch ups, participate in live Q+A and interactive polls, and much more. ConnectMe ensures you never miss a beat prior, during and post event.
Streamly • On-Demand video vault
Streamly is a new video platform from Informa Connect – hosting hours of session recordings from our events and more. Select the Streamly add-on at the checkout to receive year round access to exclusive On-Demand session recordings from all of our related healthcare events*. Login information will be sent post event. For more information visit our Streamly page.
* Note: In a minority of cases, speakers may request their sessions to be excluded from Streamly access.
Event Code of Conduct
We want everyone who comes to our events to have a great experience. This code explains our expectations and rules, which includes general good practice behaviour, and how to report anything witnessed or experienced that goes against them. Read our Event Code of Conduct here.
Sustainability
Our Commitment to Sustainability
In Australia, we are committed to running our events in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Across Informa Connect we are focusing on the short and long-term sustainability impacts we have on customers and colleagues alongside the communities we work in.
We recognise that it’s not just about the way we produce our events and products but recognising that we have a role to play in providing a space to work in partnership together with our markets to inspire the sustainable development of the industries we serve.
To read more on our latest sustainability reports and Faster Forward initiatives – click here.
when & where
05 - 06 May 2026
Crown Promenade Melbourne
8 Whiteman Street
SOUTHBANK VIC 3006
(Queensbridge St end of Crown Complex)
(03) 9292 8888
contact
Still have a question?
General Information & Registration
Customer Service
+61 2 9080 4307
[email protected]
Speaking Enquiries
Irene Amo
Senior Conference Producer
+61 415038730
[email protected]
Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities
Lily Doherty
Sponsorship Manager
+61 2 9080 4340
[email protected]
Marketing & Media Enquiries
Libbie Sinclair
Marketing Manager
[email protected]