Dr Kate Smith

Dr Kate Smith is an Occupational Therapist who has been heavily involved in remote and Indigenous health with clinical and research expertise in aged care conditions in older adults, particularly dementia. She completed her PhD on the development and validation of the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA), and the prevalence of Dementia and associated factors in older Indigenous Australians living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The KICA is a cognitive assessment tool for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that was validated in the Kimberley, Northern Territory, and Far North Queensland. This tool is now being used in rural and remote regions around Australia for the assessment of dementia. The prevalence of dementia in older Indigenous Australians was found to be approximately five fold that in non-Indigenous Australians.

Dr Smith is currently managing projects in the Kimberley region and Central Australia to establish models of care for dementia and disability services in Aboriginal communities. Dr Smith will take a lead role in the Rural and Remote Dementia node.