How does dementia affect women differently?
This Dementia Action Week, the Women's Health Services Network is putting women's experience of dementia front and centre. The facts might surprise you. Take our quiz to test your knowledge.
Q1. Dementia is the leading cause of death for which group in Australia?
Dementia is the leading cause of death for Australian women. In 2024, 62.4 per cent of people who died from dementia were women, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2025). Despite this, a 2026 survey by Jean Hailes for Women's Health found only 1 in 6 women knew this. Source: ABS (2025); Jean Hailes for Women's Health (2026).
Q2. Which of the following is a risk factor for dementia that applies specifically (or more strongly) to women?
Research suggests that menopause before the age of 40 is associated with a higher risk of dementia, with some evidence that early menopause more broadly may also be a factor. More research is needed to understand fully how reproductive history and hormonal changes affect dementia risk. Source: Dobson et al., Age and Ageing (2024); Jean Hailes for Women's Health (2026).
Q3. True or False: Dementia is a normal part of getting older.
Dementia is linked to ageing but it is not a normal part of ageing. While the risk of dementia increases with age (doubling every 5 years after the age of 65), many people reach old age without developing it. Research shows that nearly half of dementia cases can be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors. Source: Jean Hailes for Women's Health (2026); Livingston et al., The Lancet (2024).
Q4. Research shows that approximately 3 in 4 primary carers of people with dementia are:
Among primary carers of people with dementia in Australia, 3 in 4 (76 per cent) are women, and more than half (57%) are caring for their partner. This unpaid caring work has significant economic, physical and emotional consequences. Women's disproportionate caring role is one of the social and structural factors that shapes how dementia affects women differently. Source: AIHW Dementia in Australia (2025).
Q5. Researchers have identified 14 risk factors for dementia that can be changed or managed. Which of the following is NOT on that list?
Researchers have identified 14 risk factors for dementia that can be changed or managed. They are: limited education, high blood pressure, hearing loss, smoking, being overweight, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, traumatic brain injury, drinking too much alcohol, social isolation, exposure to air pollution, untreated vision loss, and high LDL cholesterol. Having a stressful job is not on the list.
It is worth noting that not everyone has the same ability to act on these factors. Things like economic security, access to healthcare, and the conditions people live and work in all shape what is actually possible. Source: Livingston et al., The Lancet (2024); Jean Hailes for Women's Health (2026).
Q7. Brain fog during perimenopause and early dementia can sometimes feel similar. Which of the following is more likely to be a sign of early dementia (rather than perimenopause and menopause-related brain fog)?
Occasionally forgetting where you put your keys, taking longer to find the right word, or feeling tired and finding it harder to concentrate are common experiences that can be associated with normal ageing or perimenopause and menopause related brain fog. Early dementia tends to show up differently: struggling to follow conversations, getting confused about familiar environments, or finding it difficult to complete tasks you have done many times before. If you are concerned about memory or thinking changes, it is always worth talking to a doctor. Source: Jean Hailes for Women's Health (2026).
0-2 correct answers
Thanks for taking part. Dementia is not well understood by most Australians, and that is exactly why campaigns like this one matter.
3-5 correct answers
Not bad. There is always more to learn, and awareness is the first step.
6 correct answers
Great work. You have a solid understanding of how dementia affects women.