Pharmacists are stepping up as key partners for Australians living with dementia and those nearing the end of life. September 2026 brought three developments that show where the profession is heading. 

A growing need 

Dementia Australia estimates 446,500 Australians are living with dementia in 2026, supported by 1.7 million people involved in their care.¹ Updated Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data shows dementia remains the leading cause of death in Australia.² People living with dementia are especially vulnerable to medicine-related harm, including delirium, falls, drug interactions and cognitive impairment.³ 

Dementia Action Week: building pharmacist confidence 

During Dementia Action Week (21–27 September), the PSA Foundation and Dementia Australia delivered an accredited webinar for pharmacists. It covered identifying high-risk medicines, weighing treatments for behavioural and psychological symptoms, and safe deprescribing. PSA Foundation Chair Associate Professor Fei Sim noted that many pharmacists report low confidence in managing medicines in dementia care.¹ 

The value of pharmacist-led care is clear. By September 2025, pharmacists in South Australia’s Dementia Support Pharmacist project had recommended stopping unnecessary or potentially inappropriate medicines in 63% of patient interactions and simplified regimens in 20%.⁴ In one case, withdrawing a single medicine cleared a patient’s months-long brain fog.³ 

Palliative care: a plan to 2030 

On 14 September, the PSA outlined a government-funded palliative care initiative running from 2026 to 2030. It aims to up skill pharmacists in palliative care, broaden their role in advance care planning and create new career pathways. It builds on a project that supported more than 2,500 pharmacists through foundation training and embedded pharmacists in six community specialist palliative care teams.⁵ 

What pharmacies can do now 

Pharmacies don’t need to wait for new programs to make a difference. A good place to start is taking a closer look at the medicines of customers living with dementia, keeping in mind that unexplained confusion or decline may be a medicine effect rather than the condition itself.³ Where something doesn’t look right, working with the person’s GP and carers to simplify or deprescribe medicines can bring real benefits.³,⁴ 

Teams wanting to build confidence could also consider the PSA’s ASPIRE Palliative Care Foundation Training Program.⁵ And for families who need more support, the National Dementia Helpline (1800 100 500) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.¹ 

Dementia Action Week may be over, but the work continues all year. As one of the most accessible health professionals for families living with dementia, pharmacists are well placed to offer medication reviews and support at every stage. 

References 

1. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, PSA Foundation and Dementia Australia unite ahead of Dementia Action Week, 18 September 2026. 
2. Dementia Australia, Dementia remains the leading cause of death in Australia, 5 August 2026.
3.  Wikramanayake M, Do you feel confident managing medicines in dementia care?, 21 September 2026. 
4. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, PSA: Pharmacists play critical role in dementia care, 19 September 2025. 
5. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia,PSA building momentum for pharmacists’ role in palliative care, 14 September 2026. 
6. Pharmacy Daily, Aussie biotech tackles dementia agitation, 24 September 2026. 
7. Brandon BioCatalyst, Seven Australian innovators awarded $15.6 million through CUREator+ to tackle dementia and cognitive decline,22 September 2026.