People suffering from dementia need continued high-quality health care from diagnosis until the end of life. Stable relationships and wellness are the prerequisites for quality of life. In countries like Australia, this is the era of chronic illness of which dementia is the epitome. The seeming epidemic of dementia comes with the ageing of the population, which was predictable for generations and for which successive governments failed to prepare. What now passes for aged care in Australia is a travesty where the glowing reform rhetoric obfuscates the grim reality.