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Objective: To examine the prevalence of dementia and problems associated with ageing in the Torres Strait. Methods: The study was conducted across all 18 island and 5 mainland communities in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area of Far North Queensland. Participants underwent a comprehensive health assessment and a Geriatrician assessment, which were used to establish consensus diagnoses. Results: A total of 276 Torres Strait residents aged between 45 and 93 participated in the study. The prevalence of dementia in the sample was 14.2%, which was 2.87 times higher than the wider Australian population. Conclusion: Torres Strait Islander peoples share the increased risk of dementia seen in Aboriginal Australians compared to the wider community. This highlights the need for interventions to address this increased dementia risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To describe the development and psychometric properties of the KICA (Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment) Screen. Methods: A short 10-item version of the KICA, the KICA screen was developed from original data of 363 Aboriginal people. The KICA Screen was subsequently independently validated in a non-random sample of 55 people living in Northern Queensland. Results: In the original sample the KICA Screen showed an optimal cut-point score of 21/22 (out of a score of 25), and resulted in a sensitivity of 95.6% and specificity of 88.6% with AUC of 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.98). This cut point was subsequently tested on 55 people living in Northern Queensland, with a sensitivity of 82.4% and specificity of 88.5% for the diagnosis of dementia, and the area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve was 0.87 (95% CI 0.77-0.97). Conclusions: The KICA Screen is a valid and acceptable screening tool among Indigenous Australians living in remote and rural areas of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study related to concerns regarding ageing on Hammond Island. It mentions an increased risk of dementia in Aboriginal Australians; and higher risks of cognitive impairment for men as compared to women. It also highlights high rates of vascular risk factors that affected individuals with cognitive impairment.