Leisurely retirement years should be something to look forward to as we grow older.

For some, the "golden years" aren't so kind.

Your Say: Do we do enough for our elders?

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New research has found alarming rates of dementia among Aboriginal people. The brain disease affects memory and thinking, and it's reaching some people at a younger age.

This disease doesn't just impact the sufferer: their loved ones also struggle to cope with this illness.

Donnaleen's mother has dementia: "It's sad, you know, I hate to see my Mum like this.We were more confused I think than Mum because we didn't understand that she really had dementia".

Living Black's Kris Flanders talks to dementia experts and meets a family struggling to cope with the disease.

It's Seniors Week in New South Wales and the ACT with other States to follow later in the year. For many, retirement makes way for the golden years, but for some, it's not quite so precious. New research has found alarming rates of dementia in Aboriginal communities, and it seems it's not only older people being affected. Video journalist Kris Flanders brings us this story.

DONNALEEN CAMPBELL: She was happy-go-lucky, she was never home, never home. She was on the go all the time. She’d be out with her groups that the elders go on and always laughing, always working.

VOICEOVER: Donnaleen’s mother has dementia. Nora has been under her daughter’s care since late last year.

DONNALEEN CAMPBELL: It’s sad, you know. I hate to see my mum like this. She’s just been a really active woman all her life, very active in the community. We were more confused, I think, than Mum, because we didn’t understand that she really had dementia.

VOICEOVER: Dementia is a brain disease that affects memory and thinking. Its most common forms include Alzheimer’s Disease and vascular dementia.

DR SIMON CHALKLEY, PRINCE OF WALES HOSPITAL: Memory's often a common complaint, but it’s more than just simple forgetfulness. It’s where people might ask the same question over and over again, or they forget new information or they might tell the same story over and over again, or they might have trouble using things they used to use around the home.

VOICEOVER: Donnaleen and Nora’s story is not unique. The first study into dementia in Indigenous communities, which took place in WA's Kimberley region, revealed staggering results.

PROFESSOR LEON FLICKER, DIRECTOR, WA CENTRE FOR HEALTH & AGEING: What we found was that dementia was very high rates, higher then any previous study virtually anywhere in the world. 12% of the people over the age of 45 years had dementia, which is about five times the rate that we would see in the non-Indigenous population.

VOICEOVER: Leon Flicker believes the onset of dementia could be caused by a number of other health-related issues.

PROFESSOR LEON FLICKER: The risk factors are things like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, poor physical activity, probably not a very good diet. So it’s the general things that often affect Indigenous folk everywhere in Australia, not just in the Kimberley.

VOICEOVER: NSW researchers are looking into the prevalence of dementia in urban Aboriginal communities.

PROFESSOR LISA JACKSON-PULVER, MURU MARRI INDIGENOUS HEALTH UNIT: We’re seeing a lot of people that have got this early onset dementia and people who are demented, who may not have been properly diagnosed or been treated. So what it will do, it will give us some hardcore scientific evidence that will say, "This is how it is, this is what it looks like "and these are the resources that our communities need right now."

VOICEOVER: Early research shows dementia could be as common in the city as the Kimberley and it’s found several cases of younger people suffering with the disease.

PROFESSOR TONY BROE, PRINCE OF WALES MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: The first is to get the prevalence - how many people have it. The second is the types - what sort it is. The third is how to diagnose it - what’s the best instrument?

VOICEOVER: While there’s no cure for dementia, lifestyle plays a role.

PROFESSOR TONY BROE: When we can really train the brain is when you are an infant - preschool, early school, that’s when the brain grows most - and we believe that if you grow the brain to its maximum in those early years, complement that with good schooling in the youth, complement that with good, challenging jobs.

VOICEOVER: Caring for someone with dementia requires a lot of patience and can be very demanding. In some cases they can become a danger to themselves. Many people have to make that heartbreaking decision of placing their loved ones into professional care. It’s a decision that one day Donnaleen and her family will have to make.

DONNALEEN CAMPBELL: It’s sad to see someone who’s done things all their lives - especially Mum, she’s a good woman. She’s a good woman.

VOICEOVER: For now, Donnaleen will continue to make her mother feel as comfortable as possible.

Source: Living Black, SBS