Forecasts show that within 20 years, worldwide prevalence will increase two-fold. Canada too, can expect a severalfold increase in dementia in the coming decades.

For the past decade, dementia and its impact on national economies have been the subject of increasing focus around the globe. The governments of many other countries have taken concrete steps to study dementia and its consequences, and many have made dementia a national priority. Canada has yet to take these steps.

To some extent, Canada was running the risk of lagging behind in its understanding of the current and projected numbers of people with dementia here, and the economic burden of the disease on Canadian

Recognizing this, Alzheimer Society felt it was critical to embark on a project that would develop an understanding and analysis of the scale and scope of the dementia problem within the Canadian context. Therefore, in 2008, the Alzheimer Society secured public and private funds to commission the study Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society.

The purpose of the Rising Tide project was to estimate the health and economic burden of dementia in Canada over the next 30 years; analyze the possible effects of intervention scenarios upon this burden; demonstrate how the proposed interventions could affect the health and economic impacts of dementia in Canada; review policy options; and make recommendations on how to address the issue.

To meet these objectives, the Rising Tide project used a variety of methodological approaches. Literature review, data analysis and validation, continuum mapping, and consultation with subject matter experts were used to compile a comprehensive framework of current data.

Publicly released on January 4, 2010, Rising Tide found that:

• In 2008, there were 103,700 new cases of dementia per year, or one new case every five minutes. By 2038, this number will reach 257,800 new cases per year, or one new case every two minutes.
• There are currently about 480,600 people with dementia in Canada, or 1.5% of the total population, a number that will grow to 1,125,200 people by 2038, or 2.8% of Canada’s population.
• In 2008, Canadians were providing 231 million hours of informal care for people with dementia. By 2038, this will grow to be approximately 756 million hours of care per year.
• The Economic Burden of dementia will double every decade, increasing from $15 billion in 2008 to a startling $153 billion in 2038.
• By 2038, the total cumulative economic cost of dementia will total $872 billion.

Recognizing the urgent need to start turning the tide of dementia, Rising Tide also describes four potential intervention scenarios, backed by current evidence that could become critical factors in reducing the impact of dementia. These include increasing physical activity, delaying the onset of dementia, providing caregiver training and support and system navigation (case management).

Finally, Rising Tide calls on the federal government to undertake the development of a national dementia strategy, outlining a series of five recommendations that could make up the framework of such a Canada wide plan.

Read the Report

"Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society"

click on the above link to read the report