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overview
Returning for its 17th year, the National Dementia Conference 2026 will once again unite leading experts, individuals with lived experiences, carers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers to share insights and drive advancements in dementia care, diagnosis, and treatment.
Building on its legacy, this event remains a premier platform to explore best-practice strategies, address challenges, and highlight innovative initiatives aimed at delivering high-quality, person-centered care for people living with dementia and their carers.
The conference fosters collaboration, offering a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge, build meaningful connections, and strengthen a shared commitment to improving the lives of those affected by dementia.
KEY TOPICS INCLUDE
- Navigating the New Aged Care Act
- Telehealth and early dementia diagnosis
- Exploring spectrum of Dementia
- Innovations in Dementia care and support
- Person-centered approaches in dementia care
- New frontiers in Alzheimer’s Treatment: Donanemab and Lecanemab
- Role of pharmacists in dementia care
- Palliative / End-of-Life Care
- Dementia caregivers support
- Challenges of accessing services when living with dementia
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.
2026 Speakers
Sarah Yeates
Chief Executive Officer, Caladenia Dementia Care
Dr Desmond Graham
Chief Medical Officer, Geriatrician, Geriatric Care Australia
Jenny Puxley
Diversional Therapist, SereneCare
Dee-Anne Hull
Dementia Support Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
Lorraine Burgess
Macmillan Dementia Nurse Consultant, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Kirsty Marsh
Digital Clinical Placement National Expert, The Christie Institute for Cancer Education, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Nicola Sander
Dementia Support Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
Ben Gatehouse
Dementia Clinical Nurse Consultant, Mercy Health
Brenda McAuley‑Hines
Team Leader Advocacy, Elder Rights Australia
Dr Kathleen Doherty
Senior Lecturer, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania
Cathy Roth OAM
National Chairman, PALZ – Professionals with Alzheimer’s & related diseases
Naomi Moylan
Younger Onset Dementia Project Coordinator, Brightwater Care Group
Dr Kaele Stokes
Executive Director Services, Engagement & Research, Dementia Australia
Darryl Steff
Chief Executive Officer, Down Syndrome Australia
Associate Professor Anita Goh
Clinical Neuropsychologist & Director of Aged Care and Social Gerontology, National Ageing Research Institute
Jane Verity
Founder & CEO, Dementia Care International, Melbourne Australia
Dr Denise Craig OAM
Advanced Psychologist - Dementia Advisory, Queensland Health
Tania Hammond
Nurse Practitioner & Spark of Life Master Practitioner, Eyre & Far North Local Health Network, Rural & Remote Health, South Australia
Dr Marianne Coleman
Orthoptist & Research Fellow, National Centre for Healthy Ageing
Sandra Slatter CM
Founder & President, Dementia Alliance
Marg Rae
Carer Coordinator, Dementia Alliance
Dr Sanka Amadoru
Consultant Geriatrician, Austin Health, Bendigo Health, and Aria Health Elected Councillor & Company Director, Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine
Treasure Jennings
Complaints Commissioner, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Isabelle Meyer
Executive Director, Dementia Training Australia
Tim Moore
Retired Small Business Owner & Active Senior Member - Rotary International, Living with Alzheimer
Daen Dorazio
First Assistant Secretary, Dementia, Diversity & Residential Care, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Dr Sadie Dunn
Deputy Director, Parkville Integrated Palliative Care Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Dora Mansbridge
Manager of Social Support Programs – Treehouse & Treehouse4two, Central Highlands Rural Health
Megan Maack
Chief Executive Officer, Childhood Dementia Initiative
A/Prof Paul Yates
Consultant Geriatrician; Director of Research and Medical Lead, Memory Clinic; Deputy Head of Unit, Geriatric Medicine, Austin Health
Dr Gaya Wang
Geriatrician, The Northern Hospital
Dr Ellen Gaffy
Research Fellow, Social Gerontology Division, National Ageing Research Institute
Faye Spiteri OAM
Chief Executive Office, Fronditha Care
Kathy Kirby
Director & Registered Nurse, Thrive Aged Care Consultants
Kate Lamont
Director & Registered Occupational Therapist, Thrive Aged Care Consultants
2026 Sponsors
exhibitors
Partners
Workshop
Post-Conference Half Day Workshop
9:00am-1:00pm | 30 April 2026
Crown Conference Centre Melbourne
A Positive Approach to Care- Practical dementia training for a practical workforce
- Learn and apply the fundamentals of the Positive Approach to Care – Learn how to adapt your approach to better engage and connect with people living with dementia
- Gain a sense of brain changes, and how adapting our approach can accommodate for these changes to reduce agitation, minimise changed behaviours and increase engagement
- Learn and apply the Hand -under-Hand® technique to connect and support PLWD in different common functional tasks
- Learn to identify and maximise people’s strengths and abilities for better engagement
Kathy Kirby, Director & Registered Nurse, Thrive Aged Care ConsultantsKate Lamont, Director & Registered Occupational Therapist, Thrive Aged Care Consultants
Gaby Brodbeck, Trainer & Registered Nurse, Thrive Aged Care ConsultantsAged Care Reform Forum
Running concurrently with the National Dementia Conference at the Crown Conference Centre 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:
- Rights-Based Care Under the New Aged Care Act
- Minimizing Restrictive Practices in Aged Care
- Voluntary Assisted Dying: Ethical and Practical Considerations
- Workforce Challenges and Solutions
- Advocacy and Consumer Perspectives
- Supporting Successful Transitions of Care
- Financial Sustainability in Aged Care
- Regional and Smaller Providers: Rising to the Challenges and Strategies
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:
David Espitia
Sponsorships and Exhibitions Consultant
E: [email protected]
T: +61 (2) 9080 4311
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 event app
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. For more information visit our ConnectMe page
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
28 - 29 Apr 2026
Crown Conference Centre Melbourne
8 Whiteman St,
Southbank VIC 3006
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION RATE
We have secured a special accommodation rate from $255* per room per night, room only, for conference attendees at the Crown Promenade for the nights of the 27-29 April 2026 inclusive.
To book this rate, click here.
* Room availability and rates are subject to availability and valid until 14 days prior to the event, unless sold out prior.
Book early to avoid disappointment.
Book accommodation with HotelMaps
To access the best available rate, book here.
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
David Espitia
Sponsorships and Exhibitions Consultant
+61 2 9080 4311
[email protected]
Marketing & Media Enquiries
Libbie Sinclair
Marketing Manager
[email protected]