Macquarie University’s Associate Professor Nasir Wabe from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation has been awarded $4 million from the Medical Research Future Fund to develop an AI-enabled dementia care platform to address the critical gap in dementia care for people in rural and remote communities.

People living in rural and remote communities are three to five times more likely to develop dementia than their city counterparts. They are also more likely to experience delayed diagnosis and difficulty accessing specialised dementia care which often leads to hospitalisation.

Associate Professor Wabe says the project, known as OneDementiaHub, will make it easier for people in regional Australia to get the dementia care they need. It will support specialists to assess patients online, help people get quicker access to expert advice, enable medications to be used safely and effectively and provide easy to understand real-time dashboards that support local aged care providers and clinicians in making decisions about care.

“OneDementiaHub will be a first of its kind purpose-built digital platform that connects specialists and care providers through a shared system linking data, people and services across the dementia care journey,” says Associate Professor Wabe.

“Every year more than 72,000 people from rural and remote areas end up in hospital due to errors in their medication, many of which could have been prevented. For those living with dementia, our use of AI will deliver a real chance to close that gap and deliver safer, faster, more personalised care, no matter where people live,” says Associate Professor Wabe.

"OneDementiaHub will be co-designed with residents and families, aged care providers, staff and clinicians to ensure it is effective, practical and meets the needs of people living with dementia, their families and the aged care workforce," says Associate Professor Wabe.

Rural or regional residential aged care homes care for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s aged care population and face enormous financial and staffing pressures and rely on a workforce where more than half were born overseas. OneDementiaHub will work with 34 homes across New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. It will be integrated into existing systems within providers’ homes and will include training for the aged care workforce.

Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), congratulated Associate Professor Wabe on securing funding for this important project.

“Associate Professor Wabe is at the forefront of innovative thinking as dementia rates continue to rise and he and his team are showing how AI can be used to improve diagnosis, strengthen care and make a real difference in regional communities,” says Professor Pretorius.

The project is led by Macquarie University and involves 18 partner organisations, including aged care providers, professional and peak bodies, a data analytics and consultancy organisation, government agencies and public sector service providers across Australia.

Funding is from the Medical Research Future Fund as announced by the Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Honourable Mark Butler MP, on 30 June 2026.

Associate Professor Wabe is available for interview, please contact Chrissy Clay.