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Key Facts About Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia
The population of Canada continues to age dramatically as the baby boomers reach 60. Alzheimer's disease is the second most feared disease by Canadians as we age.
To assist in the understanding of this complex issue, the Alzheimer Society released a new report January 4, 2010 which evaluated the impact of dementia on Canadian society.
This report, Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society, was conducted by RiskAnalytica, a leading firm in risk management. Through their specialized Life at Risk® evaluation framework, combined with the Alzheimer Society's extensive network of leading researchers and clinicians, the Society has been able to determine the current and future extent of health and economic impacts of dementia in Canada over the next 30 years.
- Today, half a million Canadians have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Approximately 71,000 of them are under age 65.
- This means that 1 in 11 Canadians over the age of 65 currently has Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
- This year alone, more than 103,000 Canadians will develop dementia. This is equivalent to one person every five minutes. By 2038, this will become one person every two minutes, or more than 257,000 people per year.
- If nothing changes, the number of people living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia is expected to more than double, reaching 1.1 million Canadians within 25 years.
Alzheimer’s disease versus other dementia
- Alzheimer's disease is the leading form of dementia. It currently represents 63% of all dementias. This will increase to 68% by year 2034, i.e. within a generation
- Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia. It currently represents 20% of all dementias and will continue to do so within a generation.
Alzheimer’s disease – a gender specific illness?
- Today, women represent 72% of all cases of Alzheimer’s disease. In the context of overall dementia, women represent 62% of cases.
- In comparison, women represent 47% of vascular dementia cases.
Pressure on Families
- The hours of care delivered by unpaid family members are expected to more than triple, increasing from 231 million hours in 2008, to 756 million hours by 2038.
Economic Burden of Dementia
Right now, dementia costs Canadians $15 billion a year, a figure expected to grow ten times to $153 billion by 2038.
Economic Burden of Dementia (in future dollars)
- 2008 - $15 billion
- 2018 - $37 billion
- 2028 - $75 billion
- 2038 - $153 billion
Cumulative Consequences of Dementia over a 30-year period
Cumulative data represents the combined total of either the economic costs of dementia per year, or the number of people developing dementia per year, each year between 2008 and 2038. By 2038, the cumulative incidence of dementia will be more than 5.5 million people, with a cumulative economic cost of $872 billion (2008 dollars).
Turning the Tide of Dementia
Rising Tide proposes four hypothetical intervention scenarios, backed by current evidence that could become critical factors in reducing the impact of dementia. They include:
- The benefits of physical activity on reducing the risk of developing dementia.
- The benefits of a combination of risk reduction strategies in delaying the onset of dementia by two years (a delay that could possibly also be achieved through the discovery of a new treatment);
- The importance of supporting family caregivers who are struggling with the overwhelming emotional and financial hardships of providing care, as well as easing further pressure on the health care system
- The importance of a "system navigator" to help families find the right services at the right time.
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