Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are progressive, degenerative diseases that destroy vital brain cells. They are not a normal part of aging.

• Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, accounts for approximately 64% of all dementias in Canada.

• Other related dementias include Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Lewy body Dementia.

• While each of the related dementias has unique aspects, symptoms include a gradual and continuing decline of memory, changes in judgment or reasoning, mood and behaviour, and an inability to perform familiar tasks.

• Dementia eventually affects all aspects of a person's life, including how they think, feel, act and react to their environment.

• Presently there is no known cure for these fatal diseases. However there is evidence that there are things people can do that may help reduce their risk.

• Researchers are confident that within 5 to 7 years, there will be treatments that attack the disease process itself, not just the symptoms.

• Dementia can strike adults at any age, but has traditionally been diagnosed in people over 65. However, we now know that symptoms start much earlier, and an increasing number of people are being diagnosed in their 50s and early 60s.

What the Numbers Say

• Alzheimer's disease is the second most feared disease for Canadians as they age.²

Prevalence: number of cases in a given year

• Today, over 500,000 Canadians have dementia.¹

• Approximately 70,000 are under age 65.¹

• 1 in 11 Canadians over the age of 65 has dementia.¹

• Women represent 72% of all cases of Alzheimer's disease, and 62% of overall dementia cases.¹

Incidence: number of new cases per year

• In 2008, there were 103,700 new cases of dementia, or one new case every five minutes.¹

• By 2038, incidence will rise to one new case every two minutes or 257,800 new cases.¹

Within a generation, the number of Canadians with dementia will more than double, reaching 1.1 million people.¹

• In 2008, the cost of dementia in Canada was estimated at $15 billion a year. This accounts for direct health costs, opportunity costs and indirect costs associated with the provision of unpaid care. This number will reach $153 billion a year by 2038 if nothing changes.¹

• Over the next 30 years, the cumulative economic burden of dementia (2008 dollars) is expected to total more than $872 billion.¹

Impact of Care

Caregiving is a critical issue for people living with dementia and for Canadians overall.

• One in five Canadians age 45 and over is providing some form of care to seniors who have long-term health problems. ³

• A quarter of all family caregivers are seniors themselves, and a third of them – over 200,000 people – are over the age of 75. ³

• For dementia alone, the number of family caregiving hours is expected to more than triple, increasing from approximately 231 million hours in 2008 to 756 million hours by the year 2038. ¹

• The physical and psychological toll on family caregivers is significant: 40 to 75 per cent of caregivers have psychological illnesses as a result of their caregiving, and 15 to 32 per cent have depression.⁴

Global Impact of Dementia

• In 2010, there are more than 35 million living with dementia across the globe – more than the total population of Canada.⁴

• The world-wide prevalence of dementia will double every 20 years to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050.⁴

• The global economic impact of dementia is US$315 billion annually.⁴

Time to Act

• In 2011, the first of the baby boomer generation will turn 65. As our population ages, the number of people affected by dementia will increase dramatically.

• Dementia is more than just an important health concern. It has the potential to overwhelm Canadian families and our health care system if fundamental changes are not made in research funding and care delivery.

• The time to act is now. Canadians need to partner with government to help make change happen. Learn more at www.alzheimer.ca.

Footnotes

1. Rising Tide – The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society. Alzheimer Society of Canada January 2010
2. Alzheimer Society "Brain Health" Public Opinion Poll. Leger Marketing, 2006.
3. Eldercare: What We Know Today. Statistics Canada, October 2008.
4. World Alzheimer Report. Alzheimer's Disease International, September 2009.

This page last reviewed/revised January 2010.
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