12^th February 2025

MEDIA RELEASE

New ground-breaking research from Australia’s National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) has demonstrated that online training of interpreters significantly advances the quality of communication during cognitive assessments for dementia. This world-first trial highlights the critical role that interpreters play in facilitating timely dementia diagnoses, particularly in the context of Australia’s culturally-diverse and rapidly ageing population.

Known as the IMproving INterpreting for Dementia ASsessmEnTs (MINDSET) study, the randomized clinical trial involved co-designing online training with Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese speaking certified and certified provisional interpreters. It was conducted in collaboration with La Trobe University, University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT, University of Sydney, Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Newcastle.

“With increasing dementia prevalence due to population ageing, interpreters are needed to facilitate timely dementia diagnosis by supporting the verbal and non-verbal interplay between health professionals and patients during cognitive assessments," identified the project’s lead researcher, Professor Bianca Brijnath.

An international expert on dementia within culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Professor Brijnath reinforced that the findings from the study highlights the importance of comprehensive training for interpreters involved in dementia assessments: “Our findings suggest that, with the right training, interpreters can significantly enhance their communication skills, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients undergoing cognitive assessments."

In Australia, approximately 40% of people aged 75 years and over speak a language other than English and have limited English proficiency. Future projections estimate a 600% rise in dementia in certain ethnically diverse populations. Timely and accurate diagnosis can reduce known health disparities in dementia diagnosis and post-diagnostic support both for the person affected as well as for their families and carers.

The full article is available in the February 2025 edition of JAMA Network Open.

Media Contact: Amy Parker
Senior Manager Strategic Communications – NARI | [email protected]
Available for Comment: Professor Bianca Brijnath
Senior Principal Research Fellow – NARI | [email protected]
Professor of Health Communication in Society – La Trobe University | [email protected]
About NARI:
The National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) is Australia’s leading independent, non-profit medical research centre dedicated to ageing, health and aged care research. With a strong focus on translational research – from healthy ageing through to end-of-life care across all services and settings – NARI makes a measurable difference to the lives of older people and those who care for them.
For more information, visit: www.nari.net.au