Jan.
5, 2009
Jan. 5, 2009
For more information:
Patricia Wilkinson
Manager, Media and Government Relations
1-800-616-8816, or (416)847-2959
Mobile: (416)669-5715
pwilkinson@alzheimer.ca
Boomers fueling dementia crisis
Number of people with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia to double
This Alzheimer Awareness Month, the Alzheimer Society is releasing sobering new statistics on the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in Canada, statistics that predict an alarming increase of dementia over the next generation.
According to the Alzheimer Society, there are currently about half a million Canadians living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, a number that is expected to increase to between 1 and 1.3 million within a generation (25 years). In fact, the Society says, within just five years there could be as many as 250,000 new cases of dementia in Canada.
"The Canadian population is aging, fueled by a generation of baby boomers just starting to enter their retirement years," says Scott Dudgeon, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Canada. "Unless we put our minds to it, and take action now, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias may prove to have the highest economic, social and health cost burden of all diseases in Canada."
The new data is the first to be released from the study Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society. Commissioned by the Alzheimer Society, Rising Tide studies the impact of dementia in great depth, with a view to understanding the current demographic and epidemiological profile of the disease. Later in 2009, new data on the economic and social impact of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia will be released.
"Every Canadian has a reason to care," says Jim Mann, a Vancouver resident living with Alzheimer's disease. "Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are a tragic reality for a rapidly growing number of Canadian families. The time to act is now."
According to the data release this month, Mann is just one of more than 71,000 people under the age of 65 living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. This information is changing the way people view these illnesses, and is helping to put a new face on dementia.
"When I tell people about my diagnosis, many tell me I am too young to have Alzheimer's disease. The sad truth is that I am not too young, and neither are the thousands of other Canadians under the age of 65 already living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia," adds Mann.
The Alzheimer Society has been providing help and hope for over 30 years in communities across Canada, but we can't do it alone. The Society needs every Canadian, and every level of government, to take action to ensure the necessary services, support and research dollars are in place to address this growing health and societal issue.
For more information on Rising Tide, Alzheimer Society, or Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, please visit www.alzheimer.ca.
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