Date Time High levels of dementia found in Torres Strait New research reveals dementia levels among Torres Strait Island residents are close to three times higher than those of the wider Australian population. James Cook University’s Professor Edward Strivens and Associate Professor Sarah Russell from JCU’s Healthy Ageing Research Team have found were part of a group that examined 276 Torres Strait residents aged between 45 and 93. The study took in all 18 island and 5 mainland communities in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area of Far North Queensland. “Dementia affects more than 46 million people worldwide, with rates expected to double in high-income countries and treble in low-to middle-income countries by 2050. In Australia dementia is the second overall leading cause of death and the leading cause of death in females,” said Professor Strivens.