Society Calls for a Summit of Federal, Provincial Health Officials
The Alzheimer Society is asking all of its champions, both advocates and Members of Parliament, to support it's ask of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, to host a National Summit on Dementia.
The Summit would bring Minister Aglukkaq together with her provincial and territorial health counterparts, along with other elected officials with responsibilities for seniors and veterans, to develop a coordinated response to the dementia epidemic across Canada.
In the past year, the Alzheimer Society has focused its efforts on asking the federal government to recognize dementia as a national health care priority, through the development of a Canadian Dementia Management Strategy. It is the Society's hope that the Summit would be the first step forward in the development of this strategy.
"Although health care delivery is a provincial mandate, the Alzheimer Society believes we are looking at a national crisis which requires innovative and integrated thinking to find effective solutions," says Debbie Benczkowski, interim CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Canada. "By agreeing to host this cross-jurisdictional meeting, the federal government will be demonstrating leadership on this growing, economic and health epidemic."
The Summit would be informed by a Scientific Think Tank Meeting that the Alzheimer Society intends to host prior to the Summit. This Think Tank would bring together the best and brightest minds in dementia research and care to ensure that the messages brought to the policy makers reflect the input of those in the field. The Society is also planning to conduct an intense stakeholder consultation, so that the voice of the people with dementia and their caregivers can be heard.
Already, several MPs have supported the Society's ask for a Dementia Summit, writing to the Minister of Health and asking her to consider the urgency of the request.
You too can help by:
- writing to your MP and asking them to support our ask to the Minister of Health for a National Dementia Summit;
- scheduling a face to face meeting with your MP while they are back in their constituency offices over the summer months.
For more information, please contact Patricia Wilkinson, Manager of Media and Government Relations for the Alzheimer Society of Canada at 416-847-2959.
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