The Council on the Ageing Northern Territory is leading calls for a high-needs, safe and secure unit for Territorians suffering from dementia.
ABC reports there are currently 34 dementia patients living in NT public hospitals as there is no other place where they can be managed.
The report notes one patient, a man in his 80s who had been on a nursing home waiting list for over three years, had been between public hospitals since 2016 at an estimated cost of $3 million.
COTA NT chief executive officer Sue Shearer says these customers should be in nursing homes.
“We really do have to look at a very high-needs, very safe and very secure dementia unit for Territorians,” she said.
“For longevity, and maybe for improvement, to help with their mental capacity, they need other stimulus rather than just sitting in bed.”
Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck noted that while the Commonwealth has committed to building 35 specialist dementia care units, no approved providers have applied for the NT tender since it went out in April 2020
“Since then, the Department of Health has continued discussions with stakeholders to establish the program in the Northern Territory,” he said.
Territory Alliance Deputy Leader Robyn Lambley said the lack of beds in the top end was a concern.
"Hospitals are not designed to provide long-term aged care," she said.
