Cathy Roth knows first-hand the daunting challenge Alzheimer's presents.
Her husband, John, was diagnosed with the disease nearly a decade ago, painfully heralding the end of his career as a surgeon.
He also made the difficult decision to hand over his driver's licence.
"He was terribly disappointed, but his comment was, 'I don't want my grandchildren in danger, or any other grandchildren in danger'," Ms Roth said.
Thankfully, Ms Roth was able to "swap seats" with John and take over the role of "chauffer" to get from A to B in their home town of Geelong.
She said in an event when she could not drive, she had a "beautiful circle" of family, friends and neighbours to call on.
But for others living without a built-in support network in regional and remote areas, the solution is not so clear.
'Inequity' between city and country
Under Victorian law, any driver diagnosed with dementia — or any other medical condition that could impact driving ability — must report it to VicRoads.
From there, the authority assesses the person's fitness to drive, which may involve a medical review.
Geriatrician Joseph Ibrahim said if the driver's licence was subsequently lost, the impact for those living in rural areas was far more significant, citing a lack of access to services such as public transport and taxis.
"If you stop driving in Melbourne, you don't need to move house; you'll still get services and be able to come and go," Professor Ibrahim said.
"But if you're in a regional area and you're not allowed to drive, that may mean you can't live in the home you've been in all your life because you can no longer get the services you need."
The professor said this disparity was a key example of the "inequity" that existed between city and country communities.
"The inequity gets even bigger when you have persons with disabilities and dementia, in terms of what services are available regionally … that's just not fair."
With the World Health Organisation predicting dementia will triple globally by 2050, Professor Ibrahim said the issue would continue to impact rural and regional communities until additional support was given.
"We need to be thinking ahead about how this is managed," he said.
Measures suggested by the professor included a dedicated committee within VicRoads to advocate for regional drivers and their unique needs and circumstances.
In a statement, a state government spokesperson said the government would "continue to explore more ways we can support those diagnosed with medical conditions that may impact their ability to drive safely, so all Victorians can get around safely".
Call for community to 'think outside the square'
Following her husband's diagnosis, Ms Roth was inspired to establish the Professionals with Alzheimer's (PALZ) support network, which operates groups Australia-wide.
Along with dedicated organisations such as PALZ, Ms Roth said there was a need for communities to "step up" to help people grappling with a life-altering Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis, especially in regional areas.
"We need to think a little bit outside the square," she said.
One of the ways, Mrs Roth said, could be neighbours drawing up a roster to share the responsibility of transporting the affected person to social events or appointments.
"We as communities perhaps need to look around us and see what we can do, rather than sit back and wait for others to do it," she said.
